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UC-NRLF 


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State  Conference 
On  Kentucky  Problems 


HELD  AT 


University  of  Kentucky,  Lexington 
March  4-5,  1919 


Program  and  Addresses 


Kentucky  Council  of  Defense 


State  Conference 
On  Kentucky  Problems 


HELD  AT 


University  of  Kentucky,  Lexington 
March  4-5,  1919 


Program  and  Addresses 


Kentucky  Council  of  Defense 


X 


•  •  n*  « 


T«B  BTATH  JOURNAL  COMPANY 

Printer  to  the  Commonwealth 

Frankfort,    Kentucky. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Page 
Program   of   State   Conference 5 

Statement  of  Purpose  of   Conference 8 

Addresses: 

Dr.  Frank  L.  McVey:   Some  of  the  Problems  Before  the 

State  Conference  9 

Arthur  W.  Macmahon:   National  Problems  and  Commun- 
ity   Organization    16 

Miss  Charl  O.  Williams:   The  Rural  School  and  what  To   Do 

With  It 20 

Prof.  J.  Virgil  Chapman:   The  Rural  School  and  what  To  Do 

With  It  28 

Dr.  Archibald  Dixon:   Care  of  Defectives 36 

Professor  George  Baker:   Educational  Bills  in  Congress 46 

James  E.  Rogers:  Community  Organization 51 

Dr.  Henry  E-  Jackson:  The  Practice  of  Citizenship 58 

Professor  R.  P.  Green:  Elimination  of  Illiteracy  by  Com- 
munity Effort  65 

Miss  V.  Lota  Lorimer:   Public  Health  Program  of  Ameri- 
can Red   Cross 71 

Dr.  Arthur  T.  McCormack:   The  Kentucky  Health  Problem....     75 

Mrs.   Helm  Bruce:    Woman's   Committee 90 

E.  W.  Burr:  The  Soldier  on  the  Land 95 

Rodman  Wiley:    Good   Roads 101 

Charles  F.  Huhlein:    Commercial   Organizations 106 

Miss  Elizabeth  Breckinridge:  The  School  as  an  Element  of 

Community   Organization 109 

Professor  C.  S.  Gardner:    The    Church    as  a    Factor    in 

Community  Life  114 

Persons  Registered  in  Attendance 116 


669914 


PROGRAM 


STATEMENT  OF  PURPOSE. 

This  conference  is  called  by  the  Kentucky  Council  of  Defense  to 
consider  various  matters  arising  out  of  the  War  and  Kentucky's  rela- 
tion to  them.  No  program  can  include  all  phases  of  the  many  prob- 
lems confronting  any  commonwealth.  Some  of  them,  however,  have 
been  selected  for  discussion  and  arranged  for  presentation  by  able 
speakers.  * 

It  is  expected  that»  those  who  were  associated  with  the  Council 
of  Defense  as  well  as  those  connected  with  any  phase  of  war  work 
will  attend.  In  addition  there  should  be  many  others  who  would  be 
interested  in  the  program.  To  all  these  a  welcome  is  extended  and 
an  urgent  invitation  given  to  be  present. 

For  information  regarding  program  address  Kentucky  Council 
of  Defense,  Inter-Southern  Building,  Louisville,  Ky.  For  details  con- 
cerning local  arrangements  address  Dr.  Frank  L.  McVey,  President 
of  University  of  Kentucky,  Lexington,  Ky. 


I 

TUESDAY,  MARCH  4,  10  A.  M. 

Assembly  Hall,  Administration  Building. 

The  General  Problem. 

1.  Call  to  order  by  Edward  W.  Hines. 

2.  Community  Singing,  led  by  Professor  Lampert. 

3.  Statement  of  Purpose  of  Conference, 

Edward  W.  Hines,  Chairman  of  the  Kentucky 
Council  of  Defense. 

4.  The  General  Situation, 

(a)  Some  of  the  Problems, 

Frank  L.  McVey,  President  of  University  of  Kentucky. 

(b)  National  Problems  After  the  War, 

Arthur  W.  Macmahon,  Asst.  Chief  of  Federal  Agencies  Section, 
Council  of  National  Defense. 

5.  Discussion. 

6.  The  Soldier  on  the  Land, 

Prof.  Ellwo6d  Mead,  University  of  California  and  Adviser  to 
Department  of  Interior  (E.  W.  Burr,  District  Counsel, 
United  States  Reclamation  Service,  Denver,  Colorado,  took 
the  place  of  Professor  Mead,  who  was  prevented  by  official 
duties  in  Washington  from  attending  the  Conference.) 


,6 

TUESDAY,  MARCH  4,  2:00  P.  M. 

Assembly  Hall,  Administration  Building. 

Som.e  Educational  Problems. 

Hon.  V.  O.  Gilbert,  State   Superintendent  of  Public  Instructions, 

Presiding. 

1.  Community  Singing. 

2.  The  Rural  School  and  What  to  Do  With  It, 

Miss  Charl  O.  Williams,  County  School  Superintendent, 

•   Memphis,  Tennessee. 
Prof.  J.  Virgil  Chapman,  Supervisor  of  Rural  Schools. 

3.  The  Moonlight  School, 

Mrs.  Cora  Wilson  Stewart,  Chairman  of  the  Kentucky 
Illiteracy  Commission.  (Hon.  Edwin  P.  Morrow,  Somer- 
set, Ky.,  took  the  place  of  Mrs,  Stewart,  who  was  pre- 
vented by  illness  from  attending  the  Conference.) 

4.  Care  of  Defectives, 

Dr.  Archibald  Dixon,  Henderson,  Kentucky. 

5.  Educational  Bills  in  Congress, 

Prof.  George  Baker,  University  of  Kentucky. 

Ill 

TUESDAY,  MARCH  4,  8:00  P.  M. 

Assembly  Hall,  Administration  Building. 

Community  Organisation. 

Hon.  James  D.  Black,  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Kentucky,  Presiding. 

1.  Community  Singing. 

2.  What  Is  Community  Organization? 

James  E.  Rogers,  Field  Secretary  of  War  Camp 
Community  Service,  New  York  City. 

3.  Examples  of  Community  Organization, 

Dr.  Henry  E.  Jackson,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education. 

4.  What  the  Food  Administration  did  in   Community  Organization, 

Fred  M.  Sackett,  Federal  Food  Administrator  for  Kentucky. 

5.  Elimination  of  Illiteracy  by  Community  Effort, 

Professor  R.  P.  Green,  Western  Normal  School, 
Bowling  Green,  Ky. 


IV 

WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  5,  9:30  A.  M. 

Assembly  Hall,  Administration  Building. 

Community  Organization  (Continued). 

Hon.  Mat  S.  Cohen,  Commissioner  of  Agriculture, 

Labor  and  Statistics,  Presiding. 

1.  Community  Singing. 

2.  Rural  Sanitation, 

Surgeon  L.  L.  Lumsden,  U.   S.    Public    Health    Service, 

Miss  V.  Lota  Lorimer,  Director  of  Lake  Division,  Red  Cross 
Nursing. 

3.  Discussion. 

4.  The  Kentucky  Health  Problems, 

Dr.  Arthur  T.  McCormack,  State  Health  Officer  of  Kentucky, 
Late  Chief  Health  Officer  of  Panama  Canal. 

5.  Discussion. 

6.  The  Councils  of  Defense  and  Community  Organization. 
Arthur  W.  Macmahon,  Asst.  Chief  of  Federal  Agencies  Section, 

Council  of  National  Defense. 

Mrs,  Helm  Bruce,  Chairman  Kentucky  Division,  Woman's 

Committee,  Council  of  National  Defense. 


WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  5,  2:00  P.  M. 
Assembly  Hall,  Administration  Building. 

Community  Organization  (Continued) 

Dr.  Frank  L.  McVey,  President,  University 

of  Kentucky,  Presiding. 

1.  Community  Singing. 

2.  The  Elements  in  Community  Organization, 

(a)  Good   Roads,  Rodman    Wiley,    State    Commissioner   of 

Highways. 

(b)  Women's   Clubs,   Mrs.    Lafon    Riker,    President,    State 

Federation  of  Women's  Clubs. 

(c)  Commercial    Organizations,    Charles   P.   IJuhlein,  Louis- 

ville, Kentucky. 

(d)  The   School,    Miss    Elizabeth    Breckinridge,    Louisville 

Normal  School. 

(e)  The  Church,  Professor  C.  S.  Gardner,  Baptist  Theological 

Seminary,  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
(f^     The  Choral  Society  and   Community  Singing,  Dr.  A.  J". 

Gantvoort,  Cincinnati  College  of  Music, 
(g)     Play  and  Recreation,  James  E.  Rogers,  Field  Secretary, 

War  Camp  Community  Service. 

3.  Adjournment. 


TUESDAY,  MARCH  4,  1919. 

Morning  Session. 

Edward  W.  Hines,  Chairman  of  Kentucky  Council  of  Defense, 

Presiding. 

Statement  by  Chairman  of  purpose  of  Conference : 

This  Conference  was  called  by  the  Kentucky  Council  of  Defense 
upon  the  suggestion  of  President  McVey,  who  indicated  that  it  would 
give  the  University  of  Kentucky  great  pleasure  to  act  as  host  to  such 
a  conference.  The  Councilof  Defense  was  merely  the  instrument  for 
calling  the  conference.    Now  that  you  are  here  the  conference  is  yours. 

It  seemed  fitting  that  after  the  fighting  in  the  Great  War  had 
ended  in  a  military  victory  for  America  and  her  Allies,  the  patriotic 
men  and  women  of  Kentucky  who  at  home  had  stood  behind  our 
fighting  men  and  whose  untiring  work  in  so  many  forms  had  helped 
to  make  victory  possible,  should  come  together  to  take  account  of 
what  remains  to  be  done  to  make  that  victory  effective  and  to  make 
sure  that  our  soldiers  and  sailors  who  have  given  their  lives  in  the 
great  struggle  for  democracy  and  justice  shall  not  have  died  in  vain. 
The  Gre^t  War  has  shown  us  many  things  in  our  American  life  which 
need  to  be  changed  if  our  democracy  is  to  endure,  and  it  has  also 
shown  us  some  of  the  instruments  by  which  the  needed  changes  may 
be  wrought. 

Community  organization  and  co-operation  alone  have  made  pos- 
sible the  wonderful  achievements  of  the  various  war  agencies  which 
have  been  such  important  factors  in  helping  to  win  the  war,  and 
we  must  find  the  way  to  make  effective  that  same  spirit  of  community 
co-operation  for  the  solution  of  our  peace-time  problems. 

During  the  war  the  men,  women  and  children  of  Kentucky  have 
been  ready  to  make  almost  any  sacrifice  they  were  called  upon  to 
make  for  their  country,  and  if  we  could  have  throughout  this  land 
of  ours  that  same  readiness  to  serve  the  public  in  times  of  peace,  we 
would  have  an  ideal  democracy.  And  while  that  ideal  state  is  not  to 
be  expected  we  must  at  least  make  an  earnest  effort  to  preserve  for 
the  solution  of  our  peace-time  problems  as  much  as  we  can  of  that 
spirit  of  public  service  which  has  been  developed  by  the  war. 

We  have  asked  you,  therefore,  to  come  here,  that  we  may  counsel 
togetlier  for  the  purpose  of  finding  the  way  to  keep  alive  that  spirit 
of  public  service  and  to  make  effective  for  the  solution  of  the  prob- 
lems which  now  confront  us  that  spirit  of  community  co-operation 
which  has  been  such  an  important  factor  in  the  success  of  the  various 
war  activities  which  have  been  carried  on  by  our  civilian  army  at 
home. 

It  is  for  that  reason  we  have  given  community  organization  such 
a  large  place  in  the  program.    But  an  abstract  discussion  of  community 


organization  would  be  of  little  value,  and  so  we  have  given  an  oppor- 
tunity to  consider  the  various  elements  of  community  organization 
and  some  of  the  Kentucky  problems  in  the  solution  of  which  com- 
munity organization  and  community  co-operation  may  be  important 
factors. 

Education  in  the  broadest  sense  is  the  foundation  of  every  true 
democracy,  and  no  democracy  can  long  endure  unless  its  citizens 
are  prepared  for  the  duties  of  citizenship.  To  make  the  world  safe 
for  democracy  does  not  give  assurance  that  democracy  will  exist 
throughout  the  world.  It  is  a  noble  thing  in  some  great  crisis  to  die 
for  democracy,  but  it  is  a  more  difficult  thing  to  live  for  democracy. 
Men  may  differ  as  to  what  democracy  means,  but  I  do  not  think  any 
intelligent  man  or  woman  will  deny  that  if  the  people  are  to  rule 
they  should  be  taught  the  principles  and  obligations  of  citizenship. 
And  so  the  chief  aim  and  end  of  our  educational  system  should  be  to 
teach  not  only  our  boys  and  girls,  but  our  men  and  women,  to  be  good 
citizens.  And  the  foundation  principle  of  good  citizenship  is  a  due 
regard  for  the  rights  of  others.  It  has  been  said  that  democracy  is 
the  application  of  the  golden  rule  to  politics. 

We  have  the  problem  of  capital  and  labor  because  the  employer 
and  the  laborer  each  is  so  intent  upon  his  own  rights  that  he 
cannot  see  the  rights  of  the  other.  The  employer  with  a  col- 
lege education  who  is  not  willing  to  give  up  something  of  what  he 
deems  to  be  his  own  rights  for  the  public  good  may  be  even  more  unfit 
for  the  duties  of  citizenship  than  the  uneducated  laborer  who  is  equally 
insistent  upon  what  he  deems  to  be  his  rights.  Education  in  good 
citizenship,  therefore,  is  our  greatest  need,  and  one  of  the  things 
upon  which  we  hope  to  get  light  from  this  conference  is  how  com- 
munity organization  and  community  co-operation  may  help  to  solve 
this  problem.  In  all  our  discussions  we  must  not  forget  that  it  is 
only  by  hard  work  and  patience  that  the  things  which  we  are  hoping 
and  longing  for  can  be  accomplished. 


Address  by  Dr.  Frank  L.  McVey,  President  of  Kentucky 
University.  ^^k] 

Subject:  ''Some  of  the  Problems  Before  the  State  Confer- 
ence. ' ' 

In  looking  backward  over  periods  of  history,  men  are  able  to  mark, 
very  definitely,  certain  epochs  in  the  progress  of  mankind.  Curiously 
enough,  most  of  these  are  indicated  by  wars,  largely  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  historian  has  given  his  time  and  effort  to  a  study  of  the 
doings  of  princes,  potentates  and  sovereigns  rather  than  of  the  com- 
mon people. 


10 

So  it  is  that  we  consider  the  year  490  B.  C,  when  the  Battle  of 
Marathon  took  place,  as  one  of  the  great  epochs  and  events  in  the 
history  of  Europe.  A  little  band  of  Greeks  were  able  to  keep  the 
Persians  out  of  Europe  and  to  hold  for  that  continent  the  Grecian 
civilization  with  all  that  it  meant.  More  than  800  years  afterward 
at  Adrianople,  378  A.  D.,  the  Huns  defeated  the  Greeks  and  were  able 
to  make  their  way  into  Southern  Europew  Fortunately  enough,  how- 
ever, they  were  absorbed  by  the  Southern  European  civilization  and 
did  not  have  the  modifying  effect  that  would  have  taken  place  if  a 
more  advanced  people  had  won  the  contest.  In  Spain  the  Saracens 
had  built  up  a  considerable  civilization.  It  was  Moorish  in  character, 
and  in  their  attempt  to  force  the  Francs  into  submission,  they  were 
defeated  in  732  A.  D.,  and  once  again  Europe  was  saved  for  western 
civilization.  Again,  in  1066  the  Normans  won  the  Battle  of  Hastings, 
pressing  upon  England  their  mode  of  living,  their  architecture  and 
customs.  Then  come  other  outstanding  events  such  as  the  Magna 
Charta  and  periods  like  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  the  Seventy  Years' 
War,  the  American  Revolution,  the  Napoleonic  War,  our  own  Civil 
War,  the  Franco-Prussian  contest,  and  now  last  of  all  the  Great  War. 

It  may  be  expected,  however,  that  men  will  see  in  this  last  event 
something  more  than  a  contest  of  arms.  The  periodical  press  is  filled 
with  discussions  of  the  far-reaching  consequences  of  this  war.  It  is 
very  clearly  indicated  that  if  out  of  it  comes  a  great  League  of  Nations, 
the  contest  will  not  have  been  in  vain  if  there  is  even  a  possibility  of 
a  permanent  peace.  Men  see  in  this  change  of  view  a  great  historical 
epoch.  Many  of  them  believe  that  a  new  church  with  a  larger 
liberality  of  view,  new  energy  of  purpose  and  higher  spiritual  aim 
will  be  evolved.  Others  see  visions  of  a  wider  democracy,  in  which 
education  shall  be  adequate,  effective  and  efficient.  In  fact,  a  new 
condition  under  which  every  citizen  shall  have  larger  opportunity, 
more  leisure,  and  a  higher  viewpoint  of  life  is  bound  to  come  to  pass. 
Men  are  expecting  that  a  better  spirit  will  be  brought  into  existence  as 
a  consequence  of  the  many  needs  that  have  been  shown  by  the  agency 
of  this  war.  The  weathervane  of  opinion  points  to  the  need  of  better 
citizenship. 

Something  more  than  an  academic  question  is  raised  when  it  is 
asked  whether  these  things  are  to  be  realized.  It  is  true  that  we  can 
fall  back  into  the  old  rut,  let  the  church  go  on  as  before,  democracy 
blunder  along  as  it  has,  and  the  government  go  about  its  business 
more  or  less  ineffectively.  But,  if  these  things  are  possible,  they  are 
worth  while  trying  to  get,  and  the  significance  of  this  Conference 
lies  In  the  fact  that  there  is  a  feeling  that  these  things  can  be 
brought  to  pass,  If  an  earnest  endeavor  is  made  to  get  them.  All 
of  UB  are  anxious  to  see  Kentucky  in  the  vanguard,  and  it  is  possible 
to  place  her  there  even  with  the  handicaps  under  which  she  labors. 
If  we  can  see  the  needs  of  the  Commonwealth  for  the  next  quarter  of 
a  century  there  is  thus  set  up  a  very    definite    task,    and,  on  the 


11 

whole,  one  that  can  be  met,  and  the  necessary  steps  taken  to  bring 
the  results. 

This  Conference  has  been  called  for  the  purpose  of  discussing 
Kentucky  problems.  Perhaps  it  is  desirable  at  the  beginning  to  ask, 
"What  is  a  problem?"  Then  find  out  the  specific  things  that  stand 
before  us  here  in  Kentucky. 

A  problem  is  something  to  be  solved;  it  is  an  attempt  to  relate 
cause  and  effect,  and  to  determine  how  the  two  are  associated  and  con- 
nected. In  a  general  way  these  problems  which  face  us  in  Kentucky 
concern  individuals,  the  community,  and  the  State.  The  individual 
is  concerned,  in  so  far  as  the  conditions  of  the  heredity  of  his  children 
are  affected,  and  in  the  environment  in  which  he  lives,  and  in  which 
they  in  the  future  will  have  to  live.  The  two  things  re-act  on  each 
other.  When  we  turn  to  the  community,  we  find  a  group  of  individuals 
acting  more  or  less  together  in  the  every  day  conduct  of  life.  The 
tendency  has  been  for  these  units  to  act  aloiie  and  to  act  selfishly. 
When  a  community  has  grasped  what  it  can  do  when  its  members 
act  together,  it  will  have  taken  a  long  step  toward  the  accomplishment 
of  many  things.  The  State  occupies  a  much  larger  area  and  is  affected 
by  a  broader  sweep  of  economic,  sanitary  and  moral  factors  than  in 
the  instance  of  the  individual.  In  the  conduct  of  commerce  and 
trade,  transportation  of  the  products  of  industry,  economic  laws 
affect  and  modify  the  situation.  There  are  besides  these  sanitary, 
economic  and  moral  conditions,  those  which  apply  in  the  conduct  of 
the  state's  business  and  its  affairs.  In  the  final  analysis,  however, 
all  of  them  are  educational  in  character. 

It  is  suggested  above  that  these  problems  are  of  a  general  char- 
after.  They,  however,  may  be  more  specifically  discussed,  and,  while 
it  is  not  possible  to  deal  with  all  of  them,  it  is  possible  to  present  for 
casual  consideration  matters  relating  to  education,  public  health,  in' 
dustry,  efficient  government,  and  community  organization. 

It  is  pretty  generally  considered  that  everywhere,  and  particularly 
in  our  own  commonwealth,  we  need  a  better  school  system.  It  is 
gradually  dawning  upon  the  citizenship  of  this  State  that  more  atten- 
tion must  be  paid  to  education.  We  find  that  our  children  are  handi- 
capped when  they  come  into  competition  with  children  from  other 
commonwealths,  and'  that  it  is  necessary  to  take  hold  of  this  matter 
not  as  a  private  question,  but  as  a  public  one.  There  are  in  Ken- 
tucky about  500,000  children  of  school  age,  but  to  meet  the  needs  of 
these  children  as  they  come  on  from  the  grades  into  the  high  schools 
there  are  but  250  high  schools,  public  and  private.  Probably  2,200  sen- 
iors annually  complete  the  high  school  course,  and  from  this  the 
State  depends  for  its  leadership.  Instead  of  a  number  a  little  better 
than  2,000,  there  ought  to  be  at  least  7,000  to  8,000  seniors  completing 
the  high  school  course,  and,  in  so  far  as  they  fail  to  do  so,  the  State 
is  affected  in  its  larger  intelligence,  better  government,  and  in  its  at- 
tempt to  secure  necessary  leadership  for  better  things. 


12 

We  have  discovered  too,  that  the  program  of  the  schools  should 
be  modified.  Modern  life  requires  accuracy  of  thought,  and  the  re- 
sults that  are  now  being  obtained  do  not  seem  to  secure  the  ends  that 
are  desired.  More  emphasis  should  be  placed  upon  the  sciences,  and 
the  application  of  the  arts  to  practical  things  should  be  steadily  main- 
tained in  school  courses.  It  is  true  that  the  Federal  Government  is 
attempting  to  do  this  in  the  new  legislation  that  is  being  provided 
under  the  direction  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education, 
but  this  is  merely  a  start,  and  programs  everywhere  ought  to  take 
into  effect  the  necessity  of  impressing  upon  students  the  accuracy 
of  thought,  so  that  when  they  are  charged  with  the  responsibility  of 
carrying  on  the  affairs  of  the  commonwealth,  they  will  do  it  in  a 
clear-headed  way  instead  of  in  a  mushy  and  sentimental  way.  We 
know  too,  that  the  making  of  citizens  is  a  great  deal  more  difficult 
process  than  we  supposed.  The  war  brought  to  us  more  clearly  the 
fact  that  a  great  many  people  living  in  Ameiica  are  not  quite  as  good 
citizens  as  we  supposed.  Too  many  ol  them  had  no  knowledge  of 
our  government  or  of  our  history,  and,  consequently,  went  astray 
when  problems  of  great  importance  arose.  The  schools  probably  have 
been  as  defective  in  this  as  in  anything,  and  new  emphasis  should  be 
placed  upon  the  making  of  real  citizens. 

In  addition  to  these  problems  of  education,  there  is  still  another 
that  looms  large  in  America.  When  the  facts  have  been  made  known, 
it  appears  that  the  average  school  child  does  not  attend  school  in  the 
United  States  much  beyond  the  sixth  grade,  and  there  are  still 
others  who  are  unable  to  read  and  write.  Thus  the  percentage  of 
illiteracy  in  this  country  is  said  to  be  7.77  per  cent,  while  in  our  own 
State  it  reaches  the  disturbing  figure  of  11  per  cent.  It  makes  no 
difference  what  the  reasons  are  for  this  illiteracy,  it  nevertheless  con- 
stitutes a  dangerous  thing.  Such  a  condition  makes  possible  appeals 
to  a  large  part  of  the  adult  population  through  superstitution  and 
ignorance  because  they  can  not  inform  themselves  in  other  ways. 
Hence,  one  of  the  things  which  our  commonwealth  must  face  is  the 
elimination  of  illiteracy,  and  every  effort  should  be  made  to  bring  it 
about  at  an  early  date.  This  means  better  schools,  better  teachers, 
more  money  for  the  support  of  education  and  the  insistence  upon  the 
enforcement  of  the  compulsory  educational  law. 

The  publication  of  the  facts  relating  to  the  personnel  of  the  army 
brought  forth  an  amazing  number  of  important  matters.  In  the  first 
place,  It  was  found  that  a  high  proportion  of  the  number  of  men 
called  to  the  colors  were  physically  unfit.  The  older  the  community, 
the  larger  the  percentage,  and  for  the  whole  country,  it  indicated 
that  practicN-illy  forty  men  out  of  every  hundred  could  not  qualify 
under  the  standards  established  by  the  War  Department.  Such  short- 
comings in  the  physical  qualities  of  the  manhood  of  the  country  is 
rather  alarming  and  must  be  corrected.     We  have  gone  on  the  sup- 


13 

position  that  the  number  of  unfit  would  not  be  very  large,  but  now  we 
know  that  we  must  undertake  the  correction  of  this  defect. 

It  is  also  noted  in  the  publications  of  the  army  that  venereal 
diseases  had  reached  an  alarming  percentage.  For  our  own  State  the 
quota  was  3.77  per  cent.  However,  this  was  about  the  average  of 
all  the  states.  Still  it  is  too  high,  and  the  War  Department  has 
clearly  indicated  that  something  can  be  done  to  check  it  by  actually 
giving  widespread  information  and  instruction  as  to  the  dangers  of 
the  situation.  The  removal  of  the  saloons  by  national  prohibition  both 
in  scope  and  purpose  will  materially  affect  this  condition,  and  ought 
to  help  in  the  gradual  removal  of  such  diseases.  But  it  cannot  be 
done  if  we  simply  stand  aside  and  allow  the  problem  to  remain  an 
individual  matter.  It  must  become  a  public  question,  accepted  by 
the  State  as  such,  and  carried  out  with  all  the  vigor  which  the  com- 
monwealth could  bring  to  bear  upon  such  a  problem. 

During  the  recent  influenza  epidemic  it  was  discovered  that  we 
were  by  no  means  prepared  for  such  a  wide-sweeping  disaster.  All 
of  us  have  read  with  interest  and  care  the  effect  of  the  black  death 
in  the  Fifteenth  Century,  but  devastating  as  that  was,  it  did  not  begin 
to  carry  off  as  many  citizens  as  the  recent  influenza  epidemic  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  1918.  The  experience  with  this  epidemic  indicated 
that  some  very  effective  program  for  sanitation  and  better  and  more 
extended  educational  facilities  for  the  enlarged  training  of  nurses 
are  necessary.  The  American  Red  Cross  now  has  in  mind  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Home  Service  that  will  attempt  to  meet  the  situation 
in  some  degree,  but  the  American  Red  Cross  is  unable  to  do  this 
alone.  It  must  have  the  co-operation  of  the  State  government,  of 
the  local  governing  bodies,  and  of  the  school.  With  all  of  these  com- 
bined, it  is  possible  to  make  provision  for  future  difficulties  and  to 
set  up  a  larger  organization  to  take  care  of  public  health.  But  this 
is  not  sufficient.  We  must  go  further,  and  establish  in  our  states 
adequate  public  health  organizations,  which  shall  establish  adequate 
facilities  for  the  care  of  disease. 

The  basis  of  any  commonwealth's  development  is,  of  course,  its 
industry.  Out  of  the  ground,  men  must  take  wealth,  and  from  nature 
they  must  find  the  materials  and  the  means  for  supporting  and  main- 
taining life.  The  earliest  of  these  industries  associated  with  the  soil 
is  agriculture,  and  we  have  now  reached  a  stage  in  the  development 
of  population  where  greater  measures  of  c'onservation  of  the  earth's 
surface  must  be  undertaken.  Agriculture  has  been  pursued  for  thou- 
sands of  years,  but  a  new  agriculture  is  now  coming,  which  is  capable 
of  greater  production.  If  we  are  to  have  an  independent  people  within 
the  borders  of  Kentucky,  there  must  be  constant  renewal  of  the  soil, 
and  any  type  of  agriculture,  which  tends  to  reduce  its  fertility,  simply 
points  to  the  fact  that  we  are  riding  for  a  fall.  Probably  more  prog- 
ress has  been  made  in  the  field  of  agriculture  than  any  other  industry, 
but  much  remains  to  be  done  not  only  in  securing  better  methods  of 


14 

cultivation,  but  in  marketing  the  product  and  in  securing  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  wealth,  which  comes  from  nature,  in  an  adequate 
and  satisfactory  manner.  Our  mining,  lumbering,  and  oil  industries 
need  encouragement  by  the  right  kind  of  legislation.  In  legislation 
the  State  could  hardly  make  grants  in  the  form  of  money  or  exemption 
of  taxation,  but  in  better  transportation  facilities,  better  roads,  in  lower 
rates  for  the  movement  of  freight,  and  in  the  finding  of  adequate  and 
satisfactory  markets. 

Beyond  these  important  matters  is  another  that  calls  for  still 
greater  emphasis.  I  have  reference  to  the  relation  of  capital  and 
labor. 

In  our  system  of  society  capital  is  derived  from  all  ranks  and  is 
conducted  in  corporate  form,  while  labor  tends  to  be  more  and  more 
organized  as  units  for  the  purpose  of  securing  its  rights.  Left  alone, 
conflict  between  these  two  great  factors  is  bound  to  arise,  and, 
unless  understanding  between  them  is  brought  about,  disaster  is 
pretty  sure  to  result.  It  is  necessary  that  labor  shall  have  acceptable 
conditions  to  work  under  and  a  livable  wage — a  wage  that  will  give 
leisure  and  opportunity  for  better  living.  On  the  other  hand  capital 
must  be  assured  of  existence — an  opportunity  to  work  without  inter- 
ruption. These  are  the  conditions,  and  it  is  possible  to  work  out  a 
cooperative  relationship  between  the  two  that  wlil  remove  many  of 
the  difficulties  that  now  exist.  One  of  the  great  problems  before  a 
conference  of  this  kind  as  well  as  before  representatives  of  capital 
and  labor,  is  the  establishment  of  a  working  plan  by  which  both  can 
conduct  industry  and  still  do  so  to  the  best  interests  of  the  people  of 
the  commonwealth. 

The  history  of  the  centuries  has  shown,  again  and  again,  that  in- 
effective, despotic  government  places  a  heavy  burden  upon  industry 
and  brings  disaster  after  disaster  to  the  attempts  of  the  people  to 
make  progress  in  their  civilization.  Applied  more  specifically,  we 
must  learn  that  local,  state,  and  national  government  must  be  effective. 
In  order  to  be  so,  it  is  essential  that  it  should  be  free  from  graft,  and 
that  the  men  who  conduct  it  shall  be  farsighted  and  possess  some 
vision  as  to  the  future.  We  are  reaching  a  stage  where  the  conduct 
of  government  by  men,  who  are  conducting  it  for  their  own  purposes, 
must  be  set  aside,  and  in  its  place  substitute  a  new  type  of  govern- 
ment officer,  who  will  have  before  him  the  ideals  of  service.  The  state 
can  be  helpful  to  the  local  government  in  insisting  on  the  same  point 
of  view.  By  careful  systems  of  taxation,  well  organized  and  developed 
on  right  principles,  it  can  encourage  rather  than  discourage  the  de- 
velopment of  industry.  And  by  its  oversight,  education,  and  care  of 
defectives,  it  can  insist  upon  the  enlargement  of  leadership,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  prevent  the  development  of  parasitic  groups  that  are 
likely  to  be  a  burden  upon  the  people.  With  all  of  these  plans  for 
the  future  must  go,  as  already  indicated,  an  adequate  system  of  taxa- 
tion.   When  once  viewed  from  this  way  of  looking  at  the  matter.  State 


15 

government  becomes  something  more  than  a  contest  between  parties. 
It  becomes  a  matter  of  vast  importance  to  the  commonwealth  as  a 
whole,  and  certainly  the  commonwealth  must  see  sooner  or  later  that 
the  kind  of  government  which  it  has,  is  a  help  or  a  burden  to  its 
citizenship. 

Behind  all  of  these  problems  is  the  great  question  of  organiza- 
tion*. What  is  nobody's  job  is  never  accomplished.  No  one  individual 
is  going  to  take  upon  himself  the  correction  of  these  difficulties.  It 
is  only  by  organization  beginning  in  the  communities  that  we  can 
get  better  results  and  a  higher  type  of  community.  The  war  has 
shown  that  in  every  community  is  an  ardent  patriotic  spirit  that  can 
be  called  upon  when  aroused  to  do  the  necessary  things.  Times  of 
war  bring  this  spirit  to  the  front,  but  when  the  ordinary  routine  of 
peace  comes,  this  spirit  of  patriotism  drops  back  and  the  consequences 
are  that  the  community  continues  to  move  along  in  the  old  rut.  There 
is  a  new  responsibility,  in  view  of  all  of  the'  things  that  have  been 
thus  pointed  out,  falling  upon  every  community,  and  that  responsibility 
must  be  recognized  and  accepted  by  the  leaders  in  the  different  com- 
munities. It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  my  discussion  to  point  out 
how  this  organization  can  be  accomplished.  It  is  necessary  that  it 
must  be  brought  to  pass  at  an  early  date,  if  we  are  to  accomplish  the 
results  hoped  for. 

Certain  it  is  that  these  conditions  indicate  a  new  and  larger  re- 
sponsibility of  citizenship.  It  is  a  commonplace  saying  that  democracy 
rests  upon  her  citizenship;  but,  if  we  go  no  further  than  that  and 
make  no  effort  to  produce  a  better  type  of  citizen  then  democracy  is 
bound  to  fail.  When  it  has  been  tried  and  failed,  the  analysis  of  the 
situation  points  to  the  lack  of  vision.  The  old  Biblical  prophet  put 
it,  "For  lack  of  vision,  the  people  perish."  We  have  had  our  imagina- 
tions aroused  by  this  great  war,  and  every  man  in  the  street  sees  that 
a  new  turning-point  has  come  in  the  history  of  the  world.  So  vividly 
does  he  see  it  that  in  some  countries  he  has  come  to  the  point  of 
saying  that  the  old  regime  cannot  last,  that  there  is  no  good  in  it. 
So,  he  has  turned  to  a  dreamy,  irresponsible  type  of  democracy  that 
fails  to  understand  the  practical  problems  of  government.  It  is  essen- 
tial that  we  in  this  Commonwealth  of  Kentucky  shall  not  only  recog- 
nize the  turning-point  in  the  history  of  the  world  and  grasp  some  idea 
of  the  great  awakening  that  has  taken  place,  but  that  we  should  also 
take  steps  to  carry  out  some  of  the  things  hoped  for,  and,  from  the 
point  of  view  of  our  own  future  and  our  own  necessities,  take  upon 
ourselves  the  responsibilities  that  the  new  type  of  citizenship  calls 
for. 


16 

Address  by  Arthur  W.  Macmahon,  Assistant  Chief  of 
Federal  Agencies  Section,  Field  Division,  Council  of  National 
Defense. 

Subject:  ''National  Problems  and  Community  Organiza- 
tion." 

Mr.  Macmahon  said  in  part: 

During  the  war  the  energies  of  the  country  were  being  gathered 
up  in  its  tens  of  thousands  of  remote  localities  and,  having  been 
brought  to  a  focus  in  the  national  government,  were  pressing  out 
toward  the  distant  battlefield.  After  the  armistice  the  tide  turned 
and  began  to  set  back  upon  the  communities.  Even  in  war-time,  na- 
tional problems  could  not  be  met  unless  the  smallest  and  most  dis- 
tant neighborhoods  were  reached.  It  was  natural  tha^t  the  Council 
of  National  Defense,  in  its  recommendations  to  the  war  organizations 
in  the  states,  should  have  put  increasing  emphasis  upon  the  integra- 
tion of  the  ultimate  communities.  After-war  problems  call  in  even 
greater  degree  for  community  initiative.  It  is  natural  that  the  key- 
note (51  the  Council's  present  message  to  the  defense  bodies  with 
which  it  has  co-operated  should  be  the  earnest  suggestion  that  they 
build  now  toward  permanent  community  organization. 

We  have  entered  upon  a  difficult  period  of  readjustment  which 
we  call  "reconstruction."  It  grows  out  of  the  extraordinary  conditions 
of  the  war,  on  the  one  hand,  and  merges,  on  the  other  side,  into  per- 
manent problems  of  American  life.  Those  who  have  worked  in  war 
organizations  are  not  discharged  until  the  more  critical  at  least  of 
the  phases  of  this  period  have  been  passed.  In  attacking  its  problems 
they  can  happily  build,  not  for  a  day,  but  for  the  future.  Reconstruc- 
tion, at  least  under  American  conditions,  means  primarily  the  recur- 
rence of  old  and  standing  issues.  Unemployment,  friction  regarding 
the  wage-scale  between  employers  and  employees  and  between  skilled 
and  unskilled  and  between  men  and  women  employees,  the  assimila- 
tion of  alien  elements,  the  final  abolition  of  illiteracy,  the  removal  of 
the  conditions  which  made  unfit  38%  of  the  young  men  called  under 
the  Selective  Service  Act — all  these  and  many  other  problems  asso- 
ciated with  reconstruction  are  not  new  problems  in  the  United  States. 

The  war,  however,  has  done  at  least  three  things  to  old  prob- 
lems. In  the  first  place,  it  has  made  certain  of  them  exceedingly 
acute.  Such  center  chiefly  around  the  unemployment  which  has  fol- 
lowed the  demobilization  of  our  armies  and  the  cessation  or  curtail- 
ment of  our  so-called  war  industries  and  around  the  adjustment  of 
the  price  levels  of  basic  commodities  to  a  point  where  the  energies  of 
business,  temporarily  stagnated,  can  again  resume  a  normal  rate  of 
flow.  In  the  second  place,  the  war  has  heightened  all  our  old  prob- 
lems by  arousing  expectations  iu  the  minds  of  our  people.     Nations 


17 

cannot  hold,  as  the  Allied  Nations  have  done  in  waging  the  war,  that 
there  are  wrongs  in  the  redress  of  which  no  price  is  too  high,  without 
thereby  engendering  the  demand  that  something  of  the  same  indigna- 
tion, high  courage,  and  organized  attack  shall  be  brought  to  bear  upon 
many  crying  abuses  in  our  national  life.  You  are  here  today,  I  take  it, 
because  the  war  has  awakened  such  expectations  in  Kentucky  and 
has  made  all  the  standing  problems  of  your  State  seem  more  serious 
than  ever  before.  In  the  third  place,  not  only  has  the  war  sharpened 
some  of  our  problems  and  lifted  all  of  them,  but  it  has  given  us  as 
a  people  a  new  skill  in  the  technique  of  organization  and  an  eagerness 
to  try  upon  the  problems  of  peace  the  tools  which  were  so  effective 
in  coping  with  the  necessities  of  war-time.  Although  it  is  wholesome 
to  remember  that  the  w^ar  was  fought  because  of  international  wrongs 
and  on  behalf  of  international  remedies,  it  has  yielded  remarkable  by- 
products along  domestic  lines.  It  would  be  criminally  wasteful  and 
an  invitation  to  discontent  not  to  make  the  most  of  these  by-products 
now  in  the  previous  moment  when  the  iron  is  still  hot. 

Some  of  our  after-war  problems,  as  price  readjustments,  rail- 
roads, shipping,  are  national  in  the  sense  that  by  their  their  nature 
they  must  be  met  primarily  by  agencies  of  the  national  government. 
Others,  like  the  many  exceedingly  urgent  problems  involved  in  the 
reception,  re-employment,  and  reacclimatization  to  civil  life  of  re- 
turning soldiers  and  war-workers,  are  and  cannot  help  being  primarily 
questions  which  the  men's  own  communities  must  meet.  Nearly  all, 
however,  are  at  once  national  and  community  problems.  They  are 
national  in  the  sense  that  they  involve  the  foundations  of  American 
life  and  that  their  neglect  in  any  one  part  of  the  country  cannot  re- 
main a  matter  of  indifference  to  the  rest.  They  are  community  prob- 
lems, even  when  agencies  of  the  national  government  are  at  work 
upon  them,  in  the  sense  that  the  attempted  remedies  act  upon  the  air 
and  are  in  the  end  sterile  unless  they  are  made  effective  through  the 
organization  of  the  life  of  minute  localities.  It  is  easy  to  multiply 
examples  of  national  activities  which  rest  ultimately  upon  community 
organization.  We  are  profoundly  disturbed  by  the  growth  of  farm- 
tenancy  and  propose  that  some  how  or  other  still  easier  credit  than 
obtains  at  present  shall  be  made  available  to  the  dwellers  on  the  soil; 
no  plan  can  be  suggested  which  will  not  involve  the  voluntary  asso- 
ciation of  groups  of  neighbors.  We  talk  of  the  cost  of  living  and  in- 
voke the  aid  of  national  agencies,  at  present  of  the  Post  Office  De- 
partment especially,  to  bridge  the  gap  between  producers  and  con- 
sumers; their  assistance  is  futile  until  co-operation  has  been  effected 
in  both  country  and  city.  The  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, in  colaboration  with  the  land-grant  colleges  in  the  states,  has 
built  up  one  of  the  most  remarkable  educational  organizations  in  the 
world;  it  nevertheless  must  rely  in  large  part  upon  the  voluntary  asso- 
ciations which  rise  up  in  communities  to  meet  its  agents  to  make  its 
work  actually  effective.    These  random  illustrations  indicate  that  the 


18 

instrumentalities  of  government,  both  national  and  state,  are  de- 
pending more  rather  than  less  upon  what  we  call  community  organiza- 
tion. 

We  mean  by  community  organization,  obviously,  an  organization 
which  is  public  in  the  sense  that  its  purposes  and  its  membership  em- 
brace all  residents  in  the  community,  but  which  is  non-governmental 
in  the  sense  that  it  is  voluntary,  personal  and  informal  in  character. 
It  is  thus  separate  from  the  local  government  proper,  although  it  is 
closely  allied  to  it  and  is  constantly  tending  to  enrich  and  strengthen 
it.  Community  organization  is  flexible  and  capable  of  experimenta- 
tion; it  can  run  ahead  of  governmental  agencies  and,  when  it  has 
demonstrated  the  success  of  some  enterprise  for  the  general  good,  can 
transfer  it  to  the  hands  of  the  regular  government.  In  addition  it 
can  carry  on  permanently  the  many  activities  which  are  essentially 
public  in  nature  but  which  are  possible  only  when  people  are  banded 
together  personally  and  voluntarily.  Community  organization  insists 
upon  the  comradeship  of  all  residents  in  the  same  locality  who, 
simply  because  they  are  people  and  live  near  together,  have  in  com- 
mon certain  great  interests  which  must  never  be  obscured  by  other 
differences.  At  the  same  time,  community  organization  recognizes 
the  existence  of  many  special  local  problems  which  call  for  special 
organization.  In  the  sense  in  which  it  is  understood  and  advocated 
by  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  the  organization  of  a  community 
does  not  block  the  way  to  such  special  forms.  Rather  it  facilitates 
their  formation  when  they  are  necessary  and  allows  them  to  preserve 
the  special  connections  which  their  work  makes  necessary,  as  the 
connection  of  a  Farm  Bureau  with  the  Department  of  Agriculture; 
without  abolishing  diversity,  it  preserves  the  ultimate  unity  of  all 
community  endeavor. 

What  shall  be  the  basis  of  community  organization,  when  we 
build  it  in  these  challenging  days  of  reconstruction  to  last  into  the 
future?  The  Council  of  National  Defense  is  acutely  conscious  that 
community  organization  is  wholesome  only  when  it  is  accommodated, 
both  in  area  and  in  structure,  to  the  peculiarities  of  each  locality. 
The  Council  does  not  attempt  to  suggest  more  than  general  principles. 
It  believes  now,  as  it  has  urged  throughout  the  war,  in  advocating  Com- 
munity Councils  of  Defense,  that  it  is  desirable  and  possible  to  com- 
bine two  principles  of  organizati^i  which  are  sometimes  represented 
as  antagonistic.  The  first  of  these  insists  that  the  community  organi- 
zation shall  include  all  of  the  residents  of  the  community,  but  as  in- 
dividuals and  only  as  individuals.  It  concedes  the  need  of  special 
committees,  to  be  sure,  but  luushes  aside  all  existing  bodies  of  a 
special  character— granges.  (Imiclies,  clubs,  chapters  and  the  rest — 
and  attempts  to  organize  the  whole  community  afresh  upon  the 
democratic  foundation  of  universal  individual  membership.  The  sec- 
ond principle,  on  the  other  hand,  recognizes  that  there  are  a  variety 
of  local  interests  and  that  in  most  communities  people  are  already 


19 

grouped  together  in  churches,  Red  Cross  auxiliaries,  agricultural 
clubs,  commercial  organizations  and  the  like.  This  principle  retains 
such  bodies  and  forms  the  community  organization  by  federating  them. 
The  Council  of  National  Defense  thinks  that  each  of  these  principles 
of  organization  is,  by  itself,  incomplete  and  inadequate  and  that  the 
best  forms  of  community  organization  are  secured  by  blending  them. 
It  has  accordingly  always  recommended  that  the  community  organiza- 
tion shall  be  built  upon  the  membership  of  all  the  residents  in  the 
locality  and  that,  at  the  same  time,  the  leaders  of  all  special  bodies 
which  touch  public  problems  shall  be  brought  together  and  associated 
with  the  management  of  the  community  organization.  In  the  stress 
of  war,  when  speed  was  all  important,  relatively  more  emphasis  was 
necessarily  placed  upon  building  Community  Councils  out  of  the 
bodies  already  existing.  Even  then,  however,  the  Council  urged  that 
Community  Councils,  as  the  ultimate  links  in  the  chain  of  defense, 
should  be  inherently  popular  and  not  merely  tight  little  groups  of 
leaders.  Now  that  the  time  has  come  to  build  perm.anently,  less 
emphasis  must  be  given  to  the  federation  of  existing  agencies  and 
more  to  the  element  of  a  broad  and  inclusive  membership  as  the  basis 
and  source  of  control  of  every  community  organization.  Not  only  that, 
but  the  community  organizations  which  have  grown  up  in  war-time 
must  now  be  overhauled,  to  make  sure  that  they  rest  upon  this  element 
and  are  in  fact  organizations  of  whole  communities. 

How  shall  the  impulse  toward  thoroughgoing  community  organi- 
zation be  kept  alive  and  carried  from  place  to  place,  until  every 
locality  has  been  covered?  During  the  war,  and,  the  Council  of  Na- 
tional Defense  hopes,  during  the  continuance  of  the  present  period 
of  readjustment  also,  the  State  Councils  of  Defense  and  State  Divisions 
of  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  to- 
gether have  acted  and  will  act  as  centers  of  leadership  for  community 
organization.  The  Council  of  National  Defense,  under  the  act  of  Aug- 
ust 29,  1916,  which  established  it  before  our  entrance  into  the  war,  is 
itself  a  permanent  body  and  will  undoubtedly  continue,  even  after 
the  period  of  reconstruction  has  passed,  to  study  quietly  the  problems 
of  industrial  mobilization.  Above  all,  speaking  from  its  experience 
in  the  war,  the  Council  hopes  that  permanent  centers  of  leadership 
for  community  organization  will  be  established  in  the  states.  The 
Council  suggests  that  the  essential  advisory  leadership  to  communi- 
ties can  be  most  effectively  rendered  by  a  state  bureau  which  will 
represent  jointly  the  various  branches  of  the  state  government  which 
have  to  do  with  the  organization  of  community  groups  as  a  neces- 
sary incident  to  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  Women  should  be  asso- 
ciated with  such  a  bureau;  in  view  of  the  large  role  which  they 
actually  play  in  all  community  undertakings,  it  is  only  fair  and  wise 
that  they  should  be  very  directly  in  touch  with  the  source  from  which 
suggestions  will  emanate.  An  example  of  the  general  type  of  bureau 
which  the  Council  of  National  Defense  has  in  mind  is  afforded  in  the 


20  - 

so-called  State  Bureau  of  Community  Service  of  North  Carolina, 
which  represents  jointly  the  State  Departments  of  Education,  Agri- 
culture and  Health,  the  State  College  of  Agriculture  and  Engineering, 
the  State  Normal  and  Industrial  College,  and  the  State  Farmers' 
Union.  The  Council  of  National  Defense  is  not  prepared  to  say 
whether  in  its  details  this  is  the  best  form  even  for  North  Carolina; 
certainly  it  recognizes  that  the  type  of  bureau  in  which  leadership 
for  community  organization  can  be  most  effectively  embodied,  is  con- 
ditioned by  circumstances  which  vary  from  state  to  state.  It  hopes 
that,  in  the  interval  which  is  now  conveniently  afforded  before  the 
next  session  of  your  state  legislature,  you  will  study  how  this  problem 
can  best  be  met  in  Kentucky.  The  Council  is  confident  that  the 
establishment  of  a  permanent 'agency  which  can,  by  correspondence 
and  field  workers,  quicken  and  sustain  the  already  widely  spread 
impetus  to  effect  community  organization,  which  will  be  a  clearing 
house  for  the  experience  of  organized  communities,  and  which  will 
be  a  channel  through  which  the  departments  of  the  national  and  state 
governments  can  reach  these  communities,  is  a  necessary  step  in 
keeping  for  all  time  one  of  the  finest  fruits  of  the  war. 

In  an  empire  it  used  to  be  said  that  all  roads  lead  to  Rome.  If 
a  democracy  is  real,  all  roads  leal  home.  We  mean  by  "home"  the 
ultimate  and  intimate  communities  in  which  people  are  born  and 
live  and  die  and  in  which  their  life  is  made  either  rich  and  varied  or 
meager  and  monotonous.  We  do  not  ask  for  insularity  or  a  small 
outlook  when  we  say  that  all  roads  should  lead  home.  Rather  we  ask 
that  the  whole  world  shall  come  to  each  countryside  and  that  the 
resources  of  the  whole  government  shall  be  effective  in  each  block. 
This  is  not  possible  when  there  is  merely  apathetic  reliance  upon 
distant  centers  of  government.  It  becomes  possible  only  when  com- 
munities themselves  are  organized  to  express  their  innate  initiative 
and  to  receive  the  many  services  which  the  governments  of  state  and 
nation  stand  ready  to  put  at  their  disposal. 


TUESDAY  AFTERNOON  SESSION. 

Hon.  V.  0.  Gilbert,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  of 
Kentucky,  Presiding. 

Addresses  by  Miss  Charl  0.  Williams,  County  School  Super- 
intendent, Memphis,  Tennessee;  and 

Professor  J.  Virgil  Chapman,  Supervisor  of  Rural  Schools 
for  Kentucky. 

Subject:  '^Tlie  Rural  School  and  What  to  Do  With  It." 

Miss  Williams : 

The  subject  of  the  rural  school  in  the  South  never  seemed  so 
attractive   to  me  nor  so  full   of  possibilities  as  it  does  today  when 


21 

I  have  just  come  from  Chicago,  that  Mecca  for  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  Hungarians,  Sicilians,  Poles,  Russians,  Germans.  The  crowded, 
noisy,  dirty,  poverty  stricken  districts  of  the  city  with  all  of  its 
boasted  advantages,  suffer  in  comparison  with  the  fresh  air  and  the 
open  fields  of  the  small  town  or  country,  and  the  pure  Anglo-Saxon 
one  hundred  per  cent  American  population  of  the  South  is  an  asset 
too  great  to  be  estimated. 

To  my  mind  the  so-called  negro  problem  of  our  section  pales  into 
insignificance  and  becomes  no  problem  at  all  compared  with  the  large, 
foreign,  non-English  speaking  population  that  infests  other  sections. 
The  negro  is  first  of  all  an  American,  and  he  loves  the  Flag  that 
freed  him,  while  it  may  take  many  generations  to  make  Americans 
out  of  the  conglomerate  mass  of  people  of  Bolshevist  tendencies.,  We 
are  not  sure  of  results  even  then.  At  least  our  experience  thus  far 
has  not  been  a  pronounced  success. 

For  ten  years,  according  to  my  observation,  the  rural  school  has 
occupied  a  prominent  and  generous  space  on  every  program  of  every 
State  or  National  Meeting  on  Education,  and  yet  the  nation-wide  prog- 
ress does  not  seem  to  have  been  made  that  one  might  expect  in  this 
field  of  endeavor.  The  "Back  to  the  Country  Movement"  will  end  in 
a  miserable  failure,  and  the  agitators  may  plead  in  vain  unless  some 
real  education  is  substituted  for  the  hopeless  makeshift  now  offered 
to  our  country  population.  Ambitious,  enterprising  people  are  not 
going  to  send  their  children  to  the  average  one  and  two-room  school 
today  and  not  one  of  us  could  honestly  advise  it. 

The  needs  of  the  rural  school  of  today  are  definite  and  immediate, 
and  the  changes  in  some  sections  must  be  sweeping  and  radical 
before  anything  worth  while  can  be  said  to  have  been  accomplished. 
The  needs  of  this  much  talked  of  institution  sound  simple — a  building, 
teachers,  children. 

No  mean  type  of  building  will  satisfy  the  people  we  are  trying  to 
coax  back  to  our  farms  today.  This  temple  of  childhood  should  be 
beautiful — good  to  look  upon— and  should  set  the  standard  for  archi- 
tecture throughout  the  whole  community.  The  essentials  of  heating, 
lighting  and  ventilation  should  be  overlooked  by  one  skilled  in  the 
business.  The  modern  school  in  the  country  should  provide  for  suffi- 
cient class-room  space  to  prevent  overcrowding,  for  play-rooms,  rest- 
rooms,  hot-lunch  room,  laboratories  for  physics,  chemistry,  agricul- 
ture, home  economics  and  manual  training,  library,  community-room 
and  auditorium.  The  authorities  who  construct  such  a  building  may 
confidently  look  forward  to  the  time  when  it  will  be  the  real  center 
of  all  community  activities. 

The  equipment  should  be  of  the  best'  type  and  in  keeping  with 
the  building.  Not  less  than  five  acres — ten  would  be  better — will  suf- 
fice for  a  school  of  this  kind.  A  principal's  home  and  a  janitor's  house 
on  the  school  campus  should  be  a  part  of  the  school  plant.  The  school 
grounds  should  be  made  beautiful  with  trees  and  shrubs  and  suitable 


22 

portions  equipped  with  playground  apparatus  for  the  little  children 
and  other  portions  laid  off  for  basketball  for  boys  and  girls,  base-ball, 
and  tennis  for  the  teachers.  A  gymnasium  will  make  it  possible  to 
keep  these  sports  going  in  inclement  weather  and  in  the  winter  time 
and  even  at  night.  We  must  prepare  for  a  great  scheme  of  physical 
education  for  it  is  sure  to  follow  this  war. 

The  interior  of  this  building  must  be  attractive  and  in  such  good 
taste  that  it  will  set  the  standard  for  good  housekeeping  and  house- 
furnishing  in  the  entire  community.  The  country  children  should 
have  the  best  in  literature,  music  and  art  brought  to  them  through 
good  books  and  magazines,  victrolas  and  pictures. 

Such  a  school  will  be  a  failure  in  the  beginning  should  the  man- 
agement of  it  be  attempted  by  the  teacher  of  the  average  one  and  two- 
room  type.  The  minimum  training  for  a  task  like  this  should  be  a 
good  high  school  education  followed  by  a  two-year  course  at  a  Normal 
School.  These  teachers  should  from  time  to  time  as  the  work  de- 
velops take  special  training  at  summer  schools  at  the  expense  of  the 
State.  No  better  investment  than  this  on  the  part  of  the  State  can 
be  made.  Salaries  sufficient  to  allow  study  one  summer  and  travel 
the  next  would  bring  in  returns,  the  value  of  which  can  not  be  com- 
puted. 

The  teachers  in  this  school  should  love  country  life  and  see  the 
possibilities  in  it,  should  love  the  out-of-doors  and  take  joy  in  teaching 
children  the  beauty  of  their  native  surroundings.  Above  all,  these 
teachers  must  love  people  with  all  of  their  faults,  and  be  able  to 
reckon  with  the  frailties  of  human  nature,  and  believe  in  the  final 
triumph  of  the  good  that  is  in  us  alh  Teachers  of  this  type  are  a 
genuine  asset  to  any  community  and  they  should  be  so  cared  for  in 
good  homes  that  they  will  want  to  spend  their  week-ends  in  the  com- 
munity and  come  back  year  after  year  to  the  same  school  to  teach. 

It  is  barely  possible  for  a  one-room  school  to  succeed,  but  the 
teacher  of  it  would  have  to  be  a  versatile  genius.  In  order  to  furnish 
better  teachers  and  better  environment  in  every  sense  of  the  word, 
it  has  been  found  advisable  to  consolidate  a  group  of  small  schools 
into  one  large  school.  In  the  average  one  and  two-room  schools  there 
are  not  enough  students  in  the  classes  to  make  the  work  interesting 
for  teacher  or  pupils,  which  alone  would  be  sufficient  inducement  to 
consolidate.  The  one-room  school  must  go,  wherever  possible,  and 
give  place  to  a  better  school,  if  the  type  of  education  given  to  our 
children  is  to  materially  improve. 

Where  road  conditions  permit,  the  children  can  be  transported 
to  the  central  school  in  motor  trucks:  when  the  climate  is  not  too 
cold  or  the  routes  too  long  horse-drawn  wagons  are  very  satisfactory. 
When  a  school  is  discontinued  a  much  better  substitute  must  be  pro- 
vided, else  people  may  rightfully  ask,  "Why  must  we  go  so  much  fur- 
ther for  the  same  thing  we  were  getting  at  home?"  If  comfortable 
•wagons  and  competent  drivers  are    provided     and  the    consolidated 


23 

school  is  of  the  type  it  should  be,  the  children  themselves  will  never 
give  it  up. 

Adequate  supervision  must  he  provided  to  keep  a  system  of  rural 
schools  functioning  properly.  No  Superintendent,  man  or  woman,  no 
matter  how  trained,  efficient  or  active  he  may  be,  can  do  all  that  is 
required  of  a  County  Superintendent  of  Schools.  The  question  of 
supervision  of  City  Schools,  highly  organized  as  they  are,  is  no 
longer  a  debatable  one.  Why  is  it  expected  that  County  Superintend- 
ents can  do  more?  The  salaries  paid  County  Superintendents  are 
shamefully  low;  they  are  not  securing  the  trained  superintendents 
the  schools  should  have  and  they  never  will.  The  salaries  that  are 
paid  all  employees  throughout  the  school  systems  must  be  materially 
increased,  else  we  shall  take  a  backward  movement  at  this  period 
that  will  require  a  quarter  of  a  century  to  overcome. 

The  South  especially  is  not  doing  its  full  duty  in  the  question  of 
support  for  its  schools.  After  four  years  of  experience  with  tax  levy- 
ing bodies  and  the  public  at  large,  I  have  found  that  bonds  and  taxes 
are  most  unpopular.  So  strenuously  do  people  object  to  paying  taxes 
and  so  assiduously  do  they  avoid  them  when  possible  that  I  have  come 
to  believe  that  the  only  revenue  in  the  public  treasury  consists  in  the 
taxes  the  people  could  not  escape  paying.  Such  a  viewpoint  is  en- 
tirely wrong.  Some  wholesome  tax  education  is  necessary  if  the 
schools  continue  to  grow.  The  coming  generations  must  be  taught 
the  cost  of  the  education  they  want,  and  they  must  pay  for  what 
they  get. 

Our  people  have  not  yet  fully  realized  that  education  is  an  asset 
and  not  a  charity.  It  has  been  calculated  by  competent  authorities 
that  the  per  capita  wealth  of  any  State  or  Nation  is  in  direct  ratio 
to  the  per  capita  cost  of  education.  The  richest  and  most  powerful 
nations  in  the  world  are  those  that  have  established  good  school  sys- 
tems, and  they  have  not  established  good  school  systems  because  they 
are  rich  and  powerful  but  they  are  rich  and  powerful  because  they 
have  established  good  school  systems.  We  have  only  to  compare 
Russia  and  Mexico  with  England,  France  and  America  to  note  the 
truth  of  this  statement. 

The  recent  draft  brought  to  light  among  much  valuable  informa- 
tion the  fact  that  this  country  with  all  its  boasted  advantages  has  an 
alarming  percentage  of  illiteracy.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the 
South  with  its  large  negro  population.  The  chain  is  just  as  strong 
as  its  weakest  link,  so  if  this  Nation  is  to  successfully  meet  the  issues 
it  must  inevitably  face  in  the  years  to  come,  this  Government  of  the 
People,  and  for  the  People  must  be  administered  by  a  People  whose 
bodies  are  strong  and  vigorous,  whose  minds  are  keen  and  active, 
and  whose  spirit  is  noble  and  uftdefiled.  Such  a  people  can  be  pro- 
duced only  by  an  efficient  system  of  nation-wide  education. 

You  may  be  interested  in  what  has  been  done  with  the  rural 
schools  of  my  county,  Shelby  County,  the  largest  in  Tennessee,  the 


24 

county  seat  of  which  is  Memphis,  and  is  situated  in  the  extreme  south- 
western part  of  the  State.  A  good  system  of  roads  penetrates  to  the 
farthest  corners  and  the  lowlands  are  easily  crossed  even  in  high 
water  by  a  system  of  levees  and  bridges.  Shelby  county's  present 
school  system  dates  back  about  twelve  years,  when  si  state  law  was 
passed  abolishing  the  district  unit  and  establishing  the  county  unit 
of  administration.  All  of  the  good  things  that  have  come  to  us  in 
education  may  be  traced  back  to  the  wise  men  who  valiantly  fought 
for  this  measure. 

The  system  is  administered  by  a  High  School  Board  of  Education 
of  six  members — the  County  Superintendent  being  ex-officio  member 
— elected  by  the  County  Court  for  a  term  of  three  years,  two  being 
elected  every  January;  a  County  Board  of  Education  elected  by  the 
people  for  a  term  of  six  years,  five  elected  from  the  five  school  dis- 
tricts respectively  and  two  from  the  county  at  large;  and  a  Superin- 
tendent elected  by  the  County  Court  for  a  term  of  four  years.  The 
Supferintendent  is  given  a  very  free  hand  in  the  administration  of 
school  interests  and  is  paid  a  salary  of  $3,350  per  year,  $350  of  which 
is  paid  by  the  State.  An  automobile,  a  Ford  Sedan,  with  chauffeur 
for  twelve  months  in  the  year,  day  or  night,  is  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Superintendent,  the  entire  expense  being  paid  by  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion. The  Board  believes  that  the  Superintendent  should  be  in  close 
touch  with  State  and  National  movements  in  education,  so  she  is  sent 
to  the  Tennessee  Public  School  Officers'  Association,  which  meets 
every  January  at  the  State  Capitol,  to  the  Department  of  Superintend- 
ence of  the  National  Education  Association,  which  meets  in  February 
and  to  the  National  Educational  Association  in  July,  her  expenses 
being  paid  by  the  Board. 

She  is  assisted  in  the  discharge  of  her  duties  by  specially  trained 
supervisors, ^one  for  primary  education  and  one  for  home  economics 
and  science.  These  two  women  use  the  Superintendent's  car  on  Mon- 
days, Wednesdays  and  Fridays  in  visiting  the  schools;  Tuesdays  and 
Thursdays  are  kept  for  office  days  when  reports  are  made  to  the 
Superintendent  and  lesson  plans  are  worked  out;  Saturdays  are  gen- 
eral conference  days  when  many  teachers  come  into  the  office  for  a 
friendly  visit  or  for  counsel  and  aid.  These  supervisors  receive  $1,800 
and  are  employed  for  the  entire  year.  Their  worth  to  the  County 
Schools  can  not  be  estimated;  they  are  loyally  supported  by  the 
teachers  and  in  turn  are  loyal  to  the  Superintendent  and  Board  of 
Education.  It  is  their  duty  to  pass  on  the  qualifications  of  every 
teacher  before  he  is  employed;  then  to  see  that  these  teachers  are 
placed  in  the  schools  where  a  maximum  service  can  be  secured  from 
them ;  to  see  that  the  course  of  study  is  kept  up  to  modern  needs  and 
that  it  is  intelligently  carried  out  ifi  the  schools;  and  to  keep  a  gen- 
eral oversight  over  the  school  and  community  activities. 

A  Supervisor  of  Agriculture  is  employed  at  a  salary  of  $2,040  per 
year.    He  has  charge  of  all  the  club  work  for  boys  and  visits  the  school 


25 

in  his  own  automobile.  A  secretary  to  the  Superintendent  and  the 
Board  is  employed  at  a  salary  of  $1,500  per  year.  She  is  chief  clerk 
of  the  office  and  looks  after  the  clerical  duties  of  the  Superintendent. 
The  fact  that  she  has  ten  years  of  teaching  experience  in  the  Shelby 
County  Rural  and  Suburban  Schools  makes  her  services  invaluable. 
A  stenographer  is  employed  at  $960.00  per  year,  a  bookkeeper  who 
can  also  do  stenographic  work  is  employed  at  $1,200  per  year.  Accu- 
rate reports  are  made  quarterly  to  the  County  Court  and  annually 
to  the  State  Superintendent.  All  the  finances  of  the  County  Schools 
are  handled  in  the  Superintendent's  office  and  every  warrant  is  signed 
jointly  by  the  Superintendent  and  Chairman.  The  Chairman  of  both 
Boards  spends  as  much  time  as  is  necessary  in  the  discharge  o|  his 
duties  and  receives  $900  per  year.  The  members  of  the  Board  re- 
ceive $240  per  year. 

A  suite  of  offices  is  provided  for  the  school  forces  in  our  beautiful 
million  dollar  court  house,  a  building  of  pure  Greek  architecture  that 
is  the  pride  of  the  entire  South.  The  imposing  entrance,  the  marble 
stairways  and  corridors  and  the  mahogany  woodwork  and  furnishings 
give  a  beauty  and  dignity  to  the  surroundings  that  are  a  genuine  in- 
spiration. Not  many  State  Departments  of  Education  in  the  entire 
country  are  so  wonderfully  situated  as  is  the  County  Department  of 
Education  of  Shelby  County. 

For  work  in  the  negro  schools,  three  women  supervisors  are  em- 
ployed, $25.00  per  month  being  contributed  to  their  salaries  from  the 
Jeannes  Fund  and  they  report  weekly  to  the  Superintendent.  We  re- 
gard this  as  a  minimum  force  that  can  successfully  supervise  a  school 
system  as  large  and  as  highly  organized  as  our  own. 

The  consoHdation  of  schools  is  practically  completed  in  Shelby 
County;  the  movement  has  been  going  on  steadily  and  quietly  since 
1907  when  there  were  between  ninety  and  one  hundred  one  and  two- 
room  schools  in  the  county.  Today  there  are  thirty-six  white  schools, 
twenty-two  of  which  may  be  called  consolidated  schools  with  forty- 
three  wagonettes  and  eighteen  motor  trucks,  two  hundred  twenty-five 
white  teachers  and  a  scholastic  population  of  ei'ght  thousand  white 
children. 

In  the  past  seven  years  Shelby  County  has  added  cew  buildings 
amounting  to  $525,000.00  exclusive  of  equipment,  $400,000.00  of  which 
is  a  bonded  indebtedness.  A  bill  is  now  before  the  legislature  ask- 
ing for  $300,000.00  for  additional  buildings,  and  I  have  the  promise 
of  the  Shelby  Delegation  that  it  will  be  passed  this  week.  These 
school  houses  have  been  built  by  architects  who  understood,  in  the 
main,  the  business  of  building  schools.  They  have  steam  heat,  elec- 
tric lights,  water  works,  slate  boards,  cloak-rooms,  play-rooms,  labora- 
tories for  physics,  chemistry,  cooking,  sewing  and  agriculture,  hot- 
lunch  rooms,  libraries,  community  rooms  and  auditoriums  that  seat 
from  two  hundred  fifty  to  one  thousand  people. 


26 

Most  of  the  new  schools  have  a  small  model  dining-room,  adjoin- 
ing the  school  kitchen,  where  the  girls  may  have  the  opportunity  to 
study  house  furnishing  and  serving  of  meals  and  other  phases  of  the 
work  that  any  home^iaker  might  be  interested  in.  The  entire  furni- 
ture of  this  room,  including  china,  linen  and  silver,  is  always  bought 
by  the  community.  Here  the  Superintendent,  Supervisors  and  Board 
members  are  often  entertained  as  well  as  parents  and  friends  of  the 
various  classes.  This  ie  counted  as  a  regular  feature  of  the  course  of 
study  and  it  is  regarded  as  a  privilege  by  the  class  that  is  chosen  to 
serve  the  meals. 

Not  long  ago  I  was  invited  out  on  Saturday  evening  to  an  eighth 
grade  country  school,  four  miles  from  a  railroad  to  a  dinner  where  a 
doctor  just  returned  from  France  was  a  guest  of  honor.  The  five- 
course  dinner  was  prepared  and  served  by  ten  fifth  and  seventh  grade 
girls,  two  little  girls  serving  each  course. 

The  table  was  correctly  laid  with  six  pieces  of  silver  at  each 
place,  which  with  the  china  and  beautiful  linen  is  the  property  of 
the  school.  I  recall  that  it  was  Washington's  Birthday  and  that  the 
place  cards  were  designed  and  colored  by  these  children  and  that  the 
bon-bons  and  the  receptacles  for  them  were  also  a  part  of  their  handi- 
work. The  meal  itself  was  delicious,  such  as  might  have  been  served 
in  any  well  appointed  home.  At  the  close  of  the  dinner  the  com- 
munity gathered  at  the  school  and  listened  to  excellent  singing  by  the 
students  and  to  a  thrilling  recital  of  recent  events  of  this  great  war 
by  the  doctor.  These  girls  had  a  practical  demonstration  of  true 
hospitality  and  they  learned  some  of  the  privileges  and  responsibili- 
ties of  home-makers.  This  building  is  not  new  or  modern  but  it 
happens  to  have  the  most  complete  "Home  Making  E^partment"  in 
the  county,  because  the  principal  there  has  a  vision  and  the  courage 
to  live  up  to  it.  A  large  two-story  addition  was  placed  there  three 
years  ago  and  the  lower  room  not  being  immediately  needed  for  class- 
room, she  asked  that  a  partition  be  built  in  lengthwise  the  room  with 
double  doors  in  the  center  and  that  the  walls  be  painted  a  soft  gray. 
In  one  of  the  rooms  Ihere  is  ample  space  for  the  cooking  and  sewing 
departments,  and  in  the  other  for  the  dining  and  living  rooms,  an 
imaginary  line  separating  them.  The  furniture  for  the  dining-room 
is  of  the  William  and  Mary  period,  and  the  living-room  furniture  is  in 
harmony  with  it,  all  purchased  by  the  community.  The  brown  rugs 
with  the  mulberry  hangings  and  cream  curtains  at  the  windows  and 
pretty  pictures  on  the  walls  give  a  finish  to  the  surroundings  that  may 
well  make  it  the  model  for  the  entire  neighborhood. 

There  are  twenty-two  well  equipped  kitchens  in  Shelby  County, 
presided  over  by  twenty-two  well  trained  teachers  who  meet  once  a 
month  in  a  special  meeting  of  their  own  with  the  Home  Economics 
Supervisor,  at  which  the  heads  of  this  department  at  the  Normal 
School  and  the  City  High  Schools  are  regular  attendants.    A  separate 


27 

course  of  study  has  been  made  for  this  department  to  suit  our  needs 
and  to  meet  modern  demands.  Home  Economics  has  come  to  stay 
in  Shelby  County;  every  girl  from  the  fifth  grade  through  the  High 
School  is  required  to  take  it  and  they  never  question  it.  Each  year 
at  the  Tri-State  Fair  in  Memphis  about  two  hundred  girls  with  their 
teachers  hold  regular  classes  in  cooking,  sewing,  canning,  laundry  and 
ironing.  To  do  this  is  looked  upon  as  a  privilege,  and  the  classes 
take  great  pride  in  demonstrating  to  the  admiring  public  how  their 
work  should  be  done. 

The  war  gave  great  impetus  to  food  production  and  today  we  have 
the  most  enthusiastic  Pig,  Poultry  and  Corn  Clubs  we  have  ever  had, 
the  boys  and  girls  wanting  pure  bred  stock  for  the  most  part  this 
year  A  large  silver  loving  cup  is  offered  the  school  this  year  that 
scores  the  most  points  in  the  Poultry  Contest.  For  several  years  a 
cup  has  been  given  to  the  corn  clubs. 

In  every  community  there  is  an  active  Parent  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion or  some  sort  of  community  club  which  has  for  its  prime  object 
the  betterment  of  school  interests.  These  organizations  stand  ready 
at  all  times  to  assist  the  teachers  in  carrying  out  their  plans.  They 
contribute  many  things  to  the  schools  which  the  Board  of  Education 
could  never  afford  to  buy,  such  as  pianos,  victrolas,  pictures,  rest- 
room  and  community-room  furniture,  hot-lunch  room  equipment,  play- 
ground apparatus,  china,  linen,  silver,  flags,  service  flags,  etc. 
Two  years  ago  just  before  we  became  engrossed  in  war  activities  we 
made  a  detailed  report  of  these  contributions.  They  totaled  in  value 
$16,500,  which  is  the  county's  pro  rata  of  a  4  cent  tax  levy. 

The  enthusiasm  of  these  people  for  their  schools  is  an  inspira- 
tion to  those  who  have  the  system  to  control.  It  has  been  wonderfully 
demonstrated  this  winter  when  four  schools  have  gathered  once  a 
week  at  the  gymnasium  of  the  Memphis  Y.  M.  C.  A.  to  play  basket- 
ball. Supporters  of  the  teams  numbered  nearly  four  hundred  people 
and  they  brought  the  evening  meal  with  them,  and  spread  it  picnic 
fashion  in  the  banquet  hall  where  the  "Y"  served  coffee  to  the  entire 
crowd.  Community  singing  and  a  general,  wholesome  good  time  fol- 
lowed. County  officials  and  city  professional  men  whose  homes  are 
in  the  county  stayed  in  town  to  help  their  teams  win.  This  is  but 
one  example  of  the  real  community  spirit  that  has  grown  up  about 
each  school. 

It  would  prolong  this  paper  to  an  unreasonable  extent  to  attempt 
to  tell  you  of  the  many  meetings  and  the  many  good  times  that  are 
held  in  these  auditoriums  and  community  rooms.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  and  considered  not  a  great  undertaking  to  serve  refreshments 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  people  from  the  school  kitchen.  Being  near  a 
city,  we  often  get  splendid  lecturers  who  are  glad  to  go  out  in  the 
county  schools,  and  Memphis  talent  is  heavily  drawn  upon  by  our  am- 
bitious, energetic  teaching  force. 


•  28 

The  visits  of  one  school  to  another  through  track  meets,  ora- 
torical contests,  basket-ball  games,  Pig,  Poultry  and  Corn  Shows  and 
their  united  effort  at  the  Fair  is  going  to  make  for  a  wide  friend- 
ship and  a  fine  spirit  of  cooperation,  when  these  youngsters  grow 
up  and  have  the  affairs  of  the  county  to  manage. 

The  greatest  asset  t)f  our  school  system  is  the  splendid  teaching 
force  of  which  we  are  justly  proud.  This  year  when  many  sections 
have  not  been  able  to  open  their  schools  for  want  of  teachers,  Shelby 
County  has  maintained  the  highest  standard  in  its  history.  I  have 
often  said  that  the  county  schools  are  run  on  the  minimum  of  funds 
and  the  maximum  of  spirit,  for  though  we  pay  higher  salaries  than 
most  counties  in  the  State,  these  excellent  teachers  are  not  paid  in 
proportion  to  the  services  they  render.  Teachers'  meetings  are  held 
once  each  month  in  the  court  house  and  departmental  meetings  as 
often  as  possible.  These  teachers  come  from  everywhere  and  they 
go  exerywhere  for  training.  They  are  an  integral  part  of  the  com- 
munity and  contribute  the  leadership  so  often  lacking  in  small  towns 
and  rural  sections. 

The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  the  fine  spirit  of  our  negro  teach- 
ers of  whom  we  have  two  hundred.  There  are  seventy-three  negro 
schools  and  a  negro  scholastic  population  of  16,000  children.  This  is 
a  large  school  system  in  itself,  and  presents  a  huge  problem  that 
we  are  honestly,  earnestly  trying  to  solve. 

We  have  accomplished  many  things  in  education  in  Shelby 
County,  but  we  know  full  well  that  we  are  only  laying  a  foundation 
for  a  real  system  of  schools.  We  feel  that  our  big  problem  just  now 
is  to  bring  home  to  our  people  with  telling  force  the  difference  be- 
tween good  schools  and  poor  ones,  to  impress  deeply  upon  them  the 
fact  that  they  alone  are  responsible  if  inferior  schools  are  allowed 
to  exist,  and  that  the  small  additional  rate  of  taxation  required  to 
maintain  good  schools  is  trivial  compared  to  the  lasting  benefits  to 
their  children. 

We  believe  the  people  can  be  educated  along  these  lines  and  to 
that  end  we  are  now  planning  an  educational  campaign  in  our  section 
of  Tennessee.  When  this  idea  once  begins  to  spread  there  will  be  a 
change  in  the  attitude  of  taxpayers,  and  instead  of  begging  for  the 
funds  that  we  are  now  given  almost  grudgingly  and  as  though  a  favor 
were  being  bestowed  we  shall  witness  the  miracle  of  the  people  de- 
manding that  their  schools  be  adequately  supported  and  that  they  be 
taxed  sufficiently  to  meet  the  educational  needs  of  their  children. 


Professor  Chapman : 

The  greatest  problem  that  confronts  Kentucky,  or  the  Nation,  to- 
day is  the  rural  problem.  The  most  intricate  phase  of  this  problem 
and  at  the  same  time  the  most  potent  factor  in  its  solution  is  the 


29 

rural  school.  It  seems  useless  to  declare  that,  even  in  the  new  light 
of  a  new  day,  the  rural  school  problem  is  still  unsolved.  The  chief 
reason  for  this  condition  is  that  hitherto  we  have  not  been  able  to 
concentrate  the  best  thought  and  wisdom  and  determined  efforts  of 
our  citizens  upon  its  solution.  We  are  to  be  congratulated,  therefore, 
that  our  State  is  finally  being  aroused,  as  a  slumbering  giantess,  from 
her  lethargy,  and  that  she  is  to  enjoy,  through  the  Council  of  Defense 
and  other  organizations,  the  loyal  support  and  consecrated  service  of 
a  more  intensely  interested  and  zealous  citizenry  than  ever  before  in 
the  improvement  of  her  rural  conditions  and  the  beautifying  of  her 
rural  life. 

Practically  all  students  of  educational  administration  are  Jiow 
agreed  that  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  times  some  form  of 
reconstruction  and  reorganization  is  necessary.  It  is  generally  con- 
ceded that  our  school  system  must  be  broadened  and  strengthened, 
the  courses  of  study  enriched  and  vitalized,  and  particularly  that  the 
work  of  the  school  system  must  be  made  to  articulate  with  the  life 
of  the  community.  As  the  rural  school  has  been  neglected  more  than 
any  other  factor  in  our  educational  systems,  it  is  evident  that  the 
readjustment  of  conditions,  the  equalization  of  opportunities,  and  the 
improvement  of  facilities  must  begin  in  the  country.  Here  is  the 
vital  and  fundamental  element  that  will  count  so  much  in  our  national 
growth  toward  efficiency  and  democracy. 

It  is  a  source  of  gratification  to  me  that  in  this  assembly  of  pa- 
triotic men  and  women  I  am  privileged  to  speak,  though  briefiy,  in  be- 
half of  the  rural  schools  of  our  State,  With  the  intrepid  spirit  of 
freemen,  we  have  assisted  in  winning  a  great  war,  to  make  the  world 
safe  for  democracy.  Our  brave  boys,  with  patriotic  fervor  and  daunt- 
less nerve,  have  endured  shot  and  shell,  poisonous  gas  and  liquid  fire, 
to  plant  the  banner  of  victory  and  democracy  upon  the  ramparts  of 
the  most  tyrannical  and  fiendish  foe  in  all  history,  to  check  the  on- 
slaught of  the  bloody  beast  against  every  form  of  human  right  and 
human  happiness.  Now,  as  crowned  with  the  laurel  leaves  of  victory 
and  decorated  for  bravery  on  foreign  fields,  they  return  to  the  land 
they  love  and  serve  so  well,  shall  they  find  that  we  in  "keeping  the 
home-fires  burning"  are  making  "democracy  safe  for  the  world?"  I 
affirm  that,  until  Kentucky  secures  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  rural 
districts  advantages  equal  to  those  offered  to  children  in  the  towns 
and  cities,  she  has  no  right  to  boast  of  her  democracy.  Every  girl  in 
Old  Kentucky  is  a  daughter  of  the  Commonwealth;  every  boy  in  all 
this  great  natiort  is  a  son  of  the  Republic.  The  poorest  child  from 
the  humblest  home  in  the  most  obscure  community  in  all  the  land  is 
entitled  to  the  very  best  instruction  and  the  amplest  opportunity  to 
grow  into  the  highest  type  of  citizenship  that  the  State  can  furnish. 
Until  such  inalienable  right  is  secured  and  the  country  boy  is  given 
the  same  chance  in  the  schoolroom    as    his    city  cousin,    we  should 


30 

cease  to  boast  of  our  democracy  and  to  talk  about  "a  government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the  people." 

In  the  rapidly  changing  conditions,  marvelous  progress  has  been 
made  in  almost  every  line  of  human  activity.  With  wonderful  de- 
velopments in  all  forms  of  industrial  life,  boys  and  girls  have  been 
deprived  of  much  valuable  home  training  in  domestic  arts  formerly 
received  in  the  home  as  a  result  of  an  economic  necessity. .  Statistics 
show  furthermore  that  there  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  a  gen- 
eral nation-wide  drift  from  the  country  to  the  town — a  drift  which,  if 
not  promptly  checked,  will  eventually  engulf  both  rural  and  urban 
population  in  the  maelstrom  of  agricultural  and  domestic  inefficiency 
and  economic  and  commercial  confusion. 

Thousands  of  our  most  successful  and  enterprising  farmers  have 
left  their  farms  in  the  hands  of  less  successful  and  less  enterprising 
men  and  have  moved  to  town  to  educate  their  children.  This  is  in- 
variably a  bad  thing  for  the  country  and  not  infrequently  equally  as 
bad  for  the  town.  One  of  the  greatest  calamities  that  can  befall  a 
rural  community  is  for  the  prosperous,  public-spirited  citizen,  be- 
cause the  community  is  not  progressive  enough  to  maintain  good 
schools  and  churches,  to  rent  out  his  farm  to  a  shiftless  tenant,  who 
cares  nothing  for  the  progress  of  the  community,  and  move  to  the 
county  seat  to  rear  his  children.  It  is  often  detrimental  to  the  town 
because  his  sufficient  accumulation  of  wealth  to  enable  him  virtually 
to  retire  from  business  is  taken  as  evidence  of  capacity  to  serve  on 
the  city  school  board  or  the  city  council.  His  previous  rural  environ- 
ment and  his  false  ideas  of  economy  that  prompted  him  to  move  in- 
stead of  building  up  a  good  school  where  he  was,  really  disqualify 
him  for  useful  service  in  his  new  position.  Thus  an  injury  has  been 
done  to  both  town  and  county,  not  to  mention  the  children. 

Rural  communities  thus  deserted  are  usually  known  by  their  poor 
roads,  poor  schools,  poor  churches,  abandoned  farms,  dilapidated 
houses,  scrub  stock,  and  other  conditions  that  make  rural  life  barren, 
uninteresting  and  unattractive.  So  many  improvements  have  been 
made  in  recent  years  that  such  conditions  are  unnecessary  and  in- 
excusable. Farming  is  in  many  sections  becoming  more  scientific 
and  more  profitable;  rural  routes,  telephones,  silos,  windmills,  auto- 
mobiles, better  methods,  better  roads,  better  homes,  better  stock, 
better  farms,  more  money — all  to  elevate,  ennoble  and  inspire,  make 
country  life  highly  desirable.  Indeed,  the  farm  can  be  made  a  most 
desirable  place  to  live  and  rear  a  family.  But  the  tragedy  of  the  situa- 
tion is  the  fact  that  the  rural  school  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  marked 
progress  along  other  lines. 

Strangely  inconsistent  is  many  an  otherwise  good  citizen  who 
avails  himself  of  practically  all  modern  improvements  and  inventions 
of  an  industrial  or  mechanical  nature,  who  uses  telephones  and  automo- 
biles, and  is  ever  on  the  alert  to  improve  the  stock  on  his  farm,  and 
yet  seems  dead  to  every  generous  impulse  sq  far  as  the  proper  train- 


31 

ing  of  his  child  is  concerned.  So,  while  city  schools  have  usually- 
proved  themselves  apt  in  the  readjustment  to  changed  conditions, 
have  adopted  modern  methods,  and  have  articulated  their  work  with 
the  home  life  of  those  they  serve,  the  average  rural  community  has 
made  little  improvement  over  the  school  of  a  generation  past. 

This  may  appear  to  be  a  dark  picture  and  may  impress  you  as 
the  reflection  of  a  pessimistic  nature.  Far  from  it;  not  so  much  de- 
pends upon  where  we  stand  as  in  what  direction  we  are  faced.  The 
facts  are  presented  in  an  honest  effort  to  look  the  situation  squarely 
in  the  face.  Too  long  already  have  "We  "boasted  of  our  blue  blood 
and  our  blue  grass  and  clung  to  the  sweet  delusion  that  we  were  real 
aristocrats  whether  our  people  could  read  and  write  or  not.  Too  long 
already  have  we  been  deceived  by  the  siren  voices  of  self-satisfaction, 
false  pride  and  a  disregard  of  actual  conditions.  We  are  now  learn- 
ing there  is  a  vast  difference  between  hot  air  and  cold  facts.  For  us 
the  prayer  of  the  Scotch  bard  has  been  answered,  and  we  are  begin- 
ning "to  see  oursel's  as  ithers  see  us." 

We  should  like  to  discuss  the  organization  and  administration  of 
the  rural  school,  as  a  vital  element  in  the  solution  of  the  wider  rural- 
life  problem.  Doubtless,  we  are  all  agreed  that  we  need  better  rural 
schools,  better  roads,  better  farms,  better  homes,  better  churches, 
better  society,  better  citizens.  It  is  evident  that  a  modern,  well- 
organized,  well-equipped,  wel^-housed,  well-taught,  typical  country  life 
school  is  the  most  powerful  factor  in  the  accomplishment  of  these  de- 
sired results.  Now,  as  prerequisite  to  this  type  of  school,  we  must 
have  better  school  houses,  larger  grounds,  better  equipment,  better 
teachers,  longer  terms,  more  regular  attendance,  longer  tenure  of 
office,  richer  and  more  practical  courses  of  study,  better  supervision 
more  sanitary  conditions,  healthier  school  and  community  spirit, 
higher  ideals,  better  salaries  for  teachers  and  superintendents,  less 
selfish  attention  to  partisan  politics  and  more  consecration  to  ser- 
vice. 

The  world  today,  just  recovering  from  the  shock  of  war  and  bap- 
tized in  the  blood  of  heroes,  is  turning  its  attention  to  the  rural  school 
as  the  hope  of  the  country,  the  mainstay  of  agriculture,  the  conser- 
vator of  democratic  ideals,  and  the  bulwark  of  liberty.  This  is  indeed 
a  practical  age,  and  the  world  is  beginning  to  realize  that  these  ideal 
conditions,  just  enumerated,  can  not  be  dreamed  into  existence.  We 
all  agree  that  the  finest  houses  and  equipment,  with  the  most  elaborate 
course  of  study,  will  come  to  nought  without  the  personality  of  a  real 
teacher,  specially  equipped  for  her  work,  realizing  the  dignity  of  her 
calling,  and  imbued  with  the  missionary  spirit.  But  we  would  as 
well  come  to  the  point — teachers  can't  live  on  air!  Though  we  must 
admit  that  thousands  of  them,  driven  by  sheer  necessity,  have  come 
very  near  to  acquiring  the  ability  to  do  so.  My  candid  opinion  is  that 
future  generations  will  regard  it  as  the  wonder  of  the  age  that  in  th6 
enlightened  period  embracing  the  evening  of  the  nineteenth  and  the 


32  ' 

morning  of  the  twentieth  century,  experienced  and  trained  teachers 
were  required  to  work  for  less  salaries  than  those  often  received  by 
the  commonest  unskilled  laborers,  white  and  colored. 

To  talk  about  altruism,  service  and  sacrifice  may  sound  well; 
but  the  niggardly  policy  pursued  by  some  of  our  Southern  states,  cele- 
brated in  story  and  song  for  their  chivalry,  toward  the  noble  women 
enduring  the  isolation,  inconvenience,  indignities  and  hardships  of 
rural  life  will  extinguish  what  little  life  is  now  left  in  thousands  of  our 
country  schools.  Bluntly,  if  we  hope  to  obtain  the  desirable  educa- 
tional conditions  already  mentioned,  two  things  are  necessary: 

Revised  Code  of  School  Laws,  and  More  Money. 

These  two  requisites  are  more  intimately  related  than  might  be 
suspected;  for  the  most  feasible  and  effective  way  of  securing  addi- 
tional appropriation,  or  more  money,  is  by  a  more  modern  and  equi- 
table system  of  raising  and  distributing  funds.  And  this  can  be 
secured  only  by  a  revision  of  our  school  laws.  Cubberly,  in  discussing 
the  inadequacy  of  the  rural  school  to  perform  its  functions  and  of  the 
average  rural  community  to  comprehend  and  assist  it  in  so  doing, 
recommends  a  reorganization  along  three  lines:  More  Money,  Better 
Organization  and  Better  Supervision. 

More  Money.  As  more  money  is  the  prime  requisite  we  consider 
it  first.  In  this,  as  well  as  in  other  matters,  we  may  differ  as  to  de- 
tail; but  it  is  evident  that  we  need  additional  funds.  A  study  of  the 
several  state  systems  reveals  two  extremes  in  matters  of  taxation  for 
schools.  One  depends  almost  wholly  upon  state  tax,  with  little  or  no 
county  or  district  tax;  the  other  depends  for  maintenance  of  schools 
almost  entirely  upon  county  and  local  taxation,  with  little  help  from 
the  State.  Both  these  systems  are  wrong  and  both  likewise  usually 
fail  to  produce  an  adequate  school  system.  It  is  a  well-established 
principle,  determined  in  this  country  after  much  agitation,  that  the 
State  is  responsible  for  the  education  of  its  children.  It  is  not  de- 
sirable, however,  that  the  State  apply  all  its  school  funds  to  the 
various  counties  or  districts  in  direct  proportion  to  its  scholastic  popu- 
lation or  its  wealth,  or  in  fact  by  any  other  single  standard.  Exper- 
ience and  a  careful  study  of  different  State  systems  have  convinced 
us  of  the  wisdom  of  an  especial  fund  being  'set  apart  for  the  purpose 
of  stimulating  county  and  district  taxation.  "To  stimulate  a  com- 
munity to  educational  activity  is  much  more  important  than  merely 
decreasing  its  tax  rate." 

Here  the  speaker  discussed  the  position  of  Kentucky  as  ninth 
in  the  matter  of  State  per  capita  and  as  thirty-ninth  in  the  amount 
spent  per  pupil  including  county  and  local  tax.  He  recommended 
an  additional  State  appropriation  to  be  used  by  the  State  Department 
of  Education,  the  State  Board  of  Education  or  some  other  delegated 
authority  as  the  State  Aid  Fund  to  stimulate  local  taxation.  If  im- 
possible or  impracticable  to  secure  such  appropriation  from  the  Gen- 


33 

eral  Assembly,  lie  favored  amending  Section  186  of  our  State  Consti- 
tution which  requires  all  State  School  Funds  to  be  apportioned  to  the 
several  counties  in  direct  ratio  to  school  population.  This  would  set 
free  some  of  the  State  Fund  to  be  used  as  such  stimulus.  "Too  many 
people  look  upon  the  per  capita  as  a  kind  of  pension  and  indeed  it 
paralyzes  local  initiative,  retards  local  taxation  and  disturbs  local  in- 
terest. I  regard  this  proposed  reform  as  fundamental:  yea,  as  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  the  life  and  progress  of  our  local  schools."  He 
also  favors  raising  the  maximum  county  school  tax  from  thirty  cents 
to  at  least  fifty  cents,  and  contends  that  thirty  cents  shall  really 
be  the  minimum  rather  than  the  maximum.  "This,"  said  he,  "would 
greatly  aid  some  timid  superintendents  who  are  afraid  to  ask  for  what 
they  need  to  maintain  their  schools.  With  a  State  Aid  Fund  these 
details  would  be  easily  adjusted." 

Acting  upon  the  broad  democratic  principle  of  today,  we  realize 
the  responsibility  of  the  more  prosperous  citizen  for  the  education 
of  his  neighbor's  children,  likewise  that  of  the  rich  community  for 
the  schools  of  the  poorer  coi^imunity,  of  the  rich  county  for  the  poor 
county,  of  the  city  with  its  accumulation  of  wealth  for  the  poor  and 
sparsely  settled  rural  district.  We  recognize  also  the  fundamental 
American  principle  that  the  entire  wealth  of  the  State  must  be  made 
available  for  educating  the  children  of  the  State.  The  proper  train- 
ing of  the  youth  of  the  land,  intellectually,  morally,  physically,  indus- 
trially, and  socially,  is  the  most  serious  and  important  business  in 
which  we  can  engage;  and  no  sane  man  today  questions  either  the 
right  or  the  duty  of  the  State  to  exercise  this  function. 

But  we  are  now  catching  a  broader  vision  than  this.  Even  as  a 
child  grows  in  his  conception  of  his  civic  relationships — from  the 
home  to  the  community,  then  to  the  county,  the  State  and  the  Na- 
tion, so  have  expanded  our  educational  ideals  as  a  people.  Education 
was  at  first  purely  an  individual  matter,  then  one  of  town  or  com- 
munity, then  a  county  function,  then  that  of  the  State.  In  recent 
years  there  has  been  a  trend  toward  broader  responsibilities.  There 
has  been  an  awakening  of  the  social  and  civic  conscience.  For  a 
number  of  years,  the  National  Government  has  made  vast  appro- 
priations for  the  promotion  of  agriculture  in  the  several  states.  Fed- 
eral aid  has  been  provided  ..also  in  the  building  of  roads.  By  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Smith-Hughes  law,  the  Federal  government  has  fos- 
tered agricultural  and  vocational  education  throughout  the  country. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  together  with  the  recent  introduction  of 
the  Smith-Towner  bill  in  both  houses  of  Congress  providing  for  one 
hundred  million  dollars  for  public  educational  work  in  the  United 
States,  we  now  realize  that  four  agencies  are  responsible  for  our 
schools,  the  Nation,  the  State,  the  county  and  the  district.  So  we 
may  cherish  the  hope  that  with  the  cooperation  of  all  these  agencies, 
educational  funds  and  opportunities  may  soon  be  provided  for  all  the 
children  of  all  the  people  of  all  the  States. 


34 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  there  was  a  time  when  it  would  have 
seemed  extremely  mercenary,  if  not  a  gross  violation  of  ethics,  for 
a  speaker  to  talk  so  plainly  about  teachers'  salaries.  Experience, 
even  the  past  year,  has  taught  us  all,  if  we  had  not  learned  it  before, 
that  to  have  good  schools,  we  must  have  good  teachers,  and  that  to 
have  good  teachers,  we  must  pay  them  more  money.  Some  one  says, 
"Raise  the  standard,  train  better  teachers;  and  the  money  will  be 
forthcoming."  It  is  impossible.  No  bank,  or  railroad  or  factory  under 
the  sun  w^ould  attempt  to  operate  on  that  principle.  While  there  are 
many  suggestions  I  should  like  to  make  in  regard  to  the  improve- 
ment of  our  school  system,  especially  with  reference  to  the  rural  situa- 
tion, in  which  I  am  intensely  interested,  yet  very  few  of  these  re- 
forms could  be  effected  witliout  more  funds.  At  the  great  meeting 
of  the  N.  E.  A.  in  Chicago  last  w^eek,  I  was  profoundly  impressed  with 
the  unanimity  of  opinion^  as  expressed  by  the  various  speakers  upon 
the  matter  of  school  finance  and  the  imperative  demand  of  the  times 
for  more  money.  Many  state  legislatures  are  already  heeding  the 
cry  and  are  providing  for  increases  of  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  per  cent 
in  salaries  of  qualified  teachers  in  th^  rural  schools. 

In  conclusion,  we  need  in  Kentucky  today — additional  funds,  Fed- 
-eral  (without  Federal  domination),  State,  county  and  district. 

Then,  in  answer  to  the  question,  "Wha,t  to  do  with  the  rural 
school,"  we  would  say: 

First.  Give  it  a  decent  place  to  live  in.  Many  of  our  country 
school  plants  are  the  most  unsanitary,  unattractive,  uninspiring, 
poorly  heated,  poorly  lighted,  poorly  equipped,  places  in  the  entire 
community.  (Of  course,  there  are  many  notable  exceptions  to  this 
statement.  Indeed  we  have  some  that  compare  favorably  with  the 
splendid  consolidated  schools  of  Shelby  County,  Tennessee.)  School 
buildings  should  be  standardized,  and  no  funds  used  for  any  but 
standard  buildings. 

Second.  Provide  a  live,  efficient,  well-trained,  rural-minded 
teacher  who  is  willing  to  live  in  the  community  where  she  teaches 
and  is  able  to  make  herself  a  part  of  the  community  life  and  to  in- 
spire higher  literary,  moral  and  social  ideals. 

Third.  Wherever  practicable,  that  is,  w^herever  the  roads  and 
the  topography  of  the  country  will  permit,  organize  a  typical  country- 
life  consolidated  school,  embracing  several  subdistricts.  There  should 
be  a  modern,  well-lighted,  heated,  ventilated,  and  equipped  building, 
with  room  for  manual  training,  domestic  science,  etc.  In  agricultural 
communities,  as  most  of  them  would  be,  there  should  be  at  least  five 
or  ten  acres  of  land  for  athletics  and  agricultural  demonstration.  Of 
course,  it  should  have  a  library  and  an  assembly  hall  for  school  and 
community  meetings,  and  should  be  the  cejiter  of  the  intellectual, 
social,  industrial  and  civic  life  of  the  surrounding  country.  High 
school  facilities  should  be  provided,  when  the  school  is  large  enough 
to  justify  it.     (We  nro  proud  of  the  ones  we  have  and  are  pleased  to 


report  a  stronger  sentiment  for  this  type  of  sciiool  today  than  ever 
before.) 

Fourth,  Provide  a  comprehensive,  liberal,  vital  course  of  study, 
with  more  or'  less  latitude  left  to  the  initiative  of  the  individual 
teacher,  who  might  thus  articulate  the  work  of  the  school  with  the 
home  life  of  the  district,  with  stress  upon  both  the  practical  and  the 
cultural. 

Fifth.  Give  rural  teachers  convenient,  comfortable,  home-like 
places  to  live.  All  larger  schools  should  have  teachers'  cottages,  such 
as  are  found  in  great  numbers  in  many  states  and  in  several  counties 
in  Kentucky.  Give  them  employment  for  at  least  nine  months,  and 
in  many  instances  for  twelve. 

Sixth.  Special  attention  to  health  and  sanitation.  Also  training 
for  occupation  and  for  citizenship.  Enforce  a  stringent  compulsory 
attendance  law. 

Seventh.  Organize  every  district  into  a  community  center  or 
school  improvement  league.  Cultivate  the  community  idea  and  develop 
a  spirit  of  democracy  and  mutual  helpfulness.  Our  observation  is 
that  a  properly  organized  league  of  this  kind  binds  together  the  peo- 
ple of  a  community  and  lends  material  aid  to  the  teacher  in  the  exer- 
cise of  her  duties.  The  spirit  of  the  community  center  idea  is  beau- 
tifully expressed  by  Edwin  Markham: 

"He  drew  a  circle  which  shut  me  out, 
Heretic,  rebel,  a  thing  to  flout, 
But  love  and  I  had  the  wit  to  win,— 
We  drew  a  circle  that  took  him  in." 

Finally,  though  perhaps  it  should  come  first  in  order,  we  would 
heartily  recommend,  as  intimated  before,  such  revision  of  our  school 
laws  and  of  the  constitution  as  to  effect  a  reorganization  of  our  school 
system.  The  choosing  of  State  and  county  superintendents  should 
be  removed  from  politics,  and  selections  made  without  regard  to  party 
emblems.  There  should  be  a  reorganization  of  State  and  county 
boards  of  education,  who  should  have  legislative  functions  with  the 
power  to  select  executives  responsible  for  administration  and  super- 
vision. Standards  and  salaries  should  be  raised,  and  every  county 
superintendent  should  be  provided  with  one  or  more  supervisors  and 
clerical  help. 

I  close  with  this  quotation  from  a  bulletin  issued  by  the  National 
Education  Association: 

"In  a  democracy  every  cliil'l  is  ilie  (omiiiunity's  child,  the  State's 
child,  the  Nation's  child  .  .  .  The  !<afety  and  strength  of  o  'emoc- 
racy  are  determined  by  the  intelligence  and  character  of  the  masses  of 
its  people.  Civilization  is  no  stronger  than  its  weakest  link.  Mani- 
festly the  weakest  link  in  the  chain  of  the  nation's  edueat-:'^*'^  "'"' 
civilization  is  the  rural  school.  It  must  be  strengthened,  lei 
be  what  it  may.     It  is  the  task  and  the  duty  of  tb;-   ;  ■^'' 


part  in  the  strengthening.  Rural  education  presents  the  greatest 
problem  in  America  today.  The  rural  school  must  be  made  adequate 
to  its  task  of  training  the  rural  population.  If  the  rural  school  fail, 
rural  civilization  will  fail;  if  rural  civilization  fail,  American  civliiza- 
tion  will  fail." 

May  we  go  down  from  this  place  reconsecrated  to  the  holy  task 
of  sustaining  and  supporting  the  rural  schools,  which,  long  before  the 
war,  our  great  President  predicted,  "would  some  day  prove  to  be  the 
roots  of  that  great  tree  of  liberty  spread  for  the  sustenance  and 
protection  of  all  mankind."  We  may  thus  render  a  service  to  our 
beloved  State,  to  our  Nation,  and  to  Almighty  God. 


Address  by  Dr.  Archibald  Dixon,  Henderson,  Ky. 
Subject:  ''Care  of  Defectives." 

The  question  of  the  care  of  Kentucky's  mental  defectives  is  a 
very  complex  one  and  its  solution  requires  the  earnest  thought  and 
united  action  of  her  people. 

The  care  of  the  insane  population  of  the  State  is  not  such  a  burn- 
ing and  urgent  problem  as  that  of  the  feeble-minded.  Some  one  has 
said  that  "Society  despises  idiots  and  feeble-minded  people,  but  is 
afraid  of  the  insane,"  and  for  that  reason  insane  people,  who  are  not  as 
great  a  menace  to  society  as  are  the  feeble-minded,  are  not  permitted 
to  roam  at  large;  inquests  are  held  to  test  their  sanity  or  insanity  and 
if  found  to  be  insane  they  are  at  once  committed  to  a  State  hospital, 
where  they  are  properly  cared  for,  and  properly  treated. 

The  most  serious  question  before  our  people  is  the  proper  care 
and  provision  for  these  "Pawns  of  Fate,"  as  the  feeble-minded  are 
called  by  Dr.  Paul  E.  Bowers,  and  I  shall  confine  my  remarks  more 
particularly  to  the  care  of  this  class  of  defectives. 

The  signing  of  the  armistice  bringing  with  it  the  dawn  of  peace, 
the  consequent  decrease  in  emergency  war  work,  furnishes  opportuni- 
ties both  for  the  Federated  Clubs  of  the  State  and  the  Kentucky 
Council  of  Defense  to  become  active  workers  in  all  plans  which  make 
for  a  betterment  of  Kentucky.  With  the  aid  of  these  two  splendidly 
organized  bodies  and  the  influence  which  they  and  they  alone  can 
bring  to  bear  upon  the  next  General  Assembly,  there  is  hope  of  ac- 
complishing legislation  which  will  redound  to  the  credit  and  uplift 
of  the  peopj'e  at  large  and  to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  all  their 
defectives. 

Ir  Octobei .  1917,  as  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Control,  I 
presenh>d  to  the  medical  profession  of  the  State  a  statement  of  the 
then  existing  provisions  for  the  mental  defectives  of  the  State  as 
set  forth  in  ?)  ■■  yo])OTt  of  Dr.  Thos.  H.  Haines.     This  statement  read 


37 

before  the  Kentucky  State  Medical  Association  was  in  the  nature  of 
a  revelation  to  most  of  the  medical  men  present,  few  of  whom  had 
paid  any  attention  whatever  to  the  subject.  They  did  not  know  that 
two  per  cent  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  State  were  mental  defectives 
either  feeble-minded  or  psychopathic  or  both,  "which  group  keeps  the 
other  ninety-eight  per  cent  busy  looking  after  it,  for  its  numbers 
make  up  the  bulk  of  our  dependents  and  delinquents.  Nature's  step- 
children and  prison  fodder."  Furthermore,  the  entire  history  of 
criminality,  as  far  back  as  we  can  go,  points  unmistakably  to  but  one 
conclusion,  and  that  is  from  time  immemorial  defectiveness  and  crime 
have  been  synonymous.  There  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  have  studied  the  subject  that  a  large  majority  of  youthful  crim- 
inals not  only  in  Kentucky,  but  in  every  other  State,  and  especially  in 
every  large  city,  are  feeble-minded,  morons,  by  hypermorons,  or  the 
victims  of  dementia  praecox,  all  with  criminal  inclinations. 

Mental  defectiveness  is  hereditary  and  constitutional,  and  con- 
sequently not  amenable  to  our  preachings,  asylums,  reformatories, 
penitentiaries,  etc.  We  must  ever  bear  in  mind  that  each  year  a  new 
quota  of  defectives  is  born  with  statistical  regularity.  They  pass 
through  the  hands  of  parents,  then  the  pedagogues,  the  theologians, 
the  physicians,  the  social  workers,  the  employers,  the  courts,  the 
prisons  and  back  on  society,  each  one  in  turn  passing  them  on  to  the 
next  and  no  one  willing  to  acknowledge  their  impotency  in  the  face  of 
mental  defectiveness. 

Dr.  Haines  set  forth  in  his  report  that  there  were  in  Kentucky 
over  three  thousand  feeble-minded  persons  who  were  costing  the 
State  a  total  sum  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  dollars 
yearly;  that  many  of  these  poor  unfortunates  were  distributed  in  hos- 
pitals for  the  insane,  where  they  do  not  belong;  that  many  were  in 
alms  houses,  where,  in  a  majority  of  cases,  they  are  not  and  cannot 
be  adequately  protected;  that  many  were  in  institutions  for  children 
and  in  public  schools;  that  a  greater  number  than  all  the  foregoing 
were  at  large  in  their  communities  free  to  propagate  and  perpetuate 
their  kind. 

It  is  an  established  fact  that  feeble-mindedness  is  inherited,  and 
to  this  fact  is  due  at  least  two-thirds  of  our  present  feeble-minded 
population.  It  is  a  further  fact  that  the  feeble-minded  mother  is 
more  prolific  than  the  normal  mother;  that  the  feeble-minded  are 
perennial  children,  lacking  in  judgment  and  resistance  to  evil  in- 
fluences and  are  therefore  unable  to  adjust  themselves  to  normal  life 
in  the  community.  It  is  also  a  lamentable  fact  that  the  social  evil  is 
fed  from  the  ranks  of  feeble-minded  women.  The  piVolic  and  private 
organizations  dealing  with  pauperism,  inebriety,  family  desertion  and 
illegitimacy  find  this  same  element  of  feeble-mindedness  entering  into 
and  complicating  their  work  in  a  larger  degree  perhaps  than  any 
other  factor.    In  all  our  schools  there  are  children  thai,  Kve  call  back- 


38 

ward  or  retarded,  and  while  much  of  this  lagging  behind  is  undoubt- 
edly due  to  remedial  causes,  just  as  certainly  a  very  considerable 
part  of  it  is  due  to  a  mental  deficit  that  is  irremediable.  We  do  not 
know  how  large  this  per  cent  is,  but  we  do  know  that  it  is  large 
enough  to  affect,  and  that  it  is  affecting,  our  whole  educational  system. 
As  a  remedy  for  this  I  advocated  the  passage  of  a  law  permitting 
the  sterilization  of  confirmed  criminals,  idiots  and  imbeciles,  or  in 
lieu  of  this  colony  care  and  segregation  under  State  control.  Sterili- 
zation is  incomparably  the  better,  and  could  such  a  law  be  enforced 
in  the  whole  United  States,  less  than  four  generations  would  eliminate 
nine-tenths  of  the  crime,  insanity  and  sickness  of  the  present  genera- 
tion in  our  land.  Asylums,  prisons  and  hospitals  would  decrease  and 
the  problems  of  the  unemployed,  the  indigent  old  and  the  hopelessly 
degenerate  would  cease  to  trouble  civilization.  The  great  horde  of 
defectives,  once  in  the  world,  have  the  right  to  live  and  to  enjoy  as 
best  they  may  whatever  freedom  compatible  with  the  lives  and  free- 
dom of  the  other  members  of  society.  They  have  not  the  right  to 
produce  and  reproduce  their  kind  for  a  too  generous  and  too  blindly 
"charitable"  society  to  contend  against.  The  greater  crime  consists 
in  allowing  the  hereditary  criminal  to  be  born. 

After  all,  to  put  the  aspect  of  the  matter  upon  a  dollar  basis,  and 
that  is  apparently  the  only  relation  that,  affects  a  good  many  people, 
why  should  the  able  and  worthy  and  thrifty  members  of  society  be 
compelled  to  pay  as  they  are,  in  Kentucky  alone,  over  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  annually,  to  say  nothing  of  the  immense  sums  vol- 
untarily contributed  toward  "charitable"  purposes  for  the  support  of 
the  criminal  and  pauper  defective  classes  who  themselves  contribute 
nothing  of  value  and  whose  very  existence  is  evidence  of  criminal 
disregard  of  the  right  of  every  individual  to  be  well  born,  into  a  sane 
and  healthy  life?  The  only  answer,  if  it  be  an  answer,  is,  because 
the  competent  are  willing  to  foot  the  bill. 

The  provisions  of  the  new  law,  if  properly  amended,  enforced 
and  carried  out,  will  not  only  lessen  the  number  of  the  mental  de- 
fectives whom  to  permit  to  be  born  is  a  crime  against  society,  but 
will  also  lessen  the  number  of  crimes. 

A  high  percentage  of  the  women  law-breakers  of  Kentucky  are 
feeble-minded.  It  is  within  the  bounds  of  reason  to  state  that  sixty 
per  cent  of  the  inmates  of  State  reform  and  training  schools  for  girls 
are  mentally  defective.  Their  offenses  are  violations  of  the  moral 
code. 

Only  uudci*  the  most  careful  and  constant  supervision  can  the 
feeble-minded  girl  be  protected.  Without  this  supervision  she  goes 
back  to  her  original  law  violations.  She  becomes  the  inmate  of  the 
disoiderly  resort,  the  street  walker,  the  woman  who  comes  again  and 
again  Into  tih2  police  and  other  courts.  She  bears  feeble-minded 
and  diset-^od  chift^ren.  She  scatters  venereal  diseases  through  every 


community  and  if  the  moron  girl  is  not  recognized  before  puberty 
her  fate  will  almost  invariably  be  the  life  of  the  underworld;  she 
may  and  usually  does  become  criminal.  In  any  event  she  almost  cer- 
tainly becomes  the  mother  of  defectives.  The  moron  man  becomes 
the  petty  offender  against  social  laws;  he  may  marry,  but  married 
or  not,  he  certainly  becomes  the  father  of  other  defectives.  Both 
help  to  fill  our  police  courts,  jails,  reformatories  and  prisons,  costing 
the  State  a  great  deal  of  money  that  would  be  better  expended  in 
keeping  them  from  harm  on  a  colony  farm  where  their  employment 
would  be  of  some  value  to  themselves  and  others. 

Eighty  per  cent  of  alms  house  population  in  Kentucky  are  feeble- 
minded. 

The  chief  menace  of  the  feeble-minded  woman  in  the  alms  house 
is  that  she  is  the  potential  mother  of  the  feeble-minded  child.  The  child 
of  the  feeble-minded  woman  and  the  alms  house  man  will  be  for  its 
entire  life  a  burden  on  public  charity.  There  is  in  almost  every  com- 
munity in  Kentucky  a  group  of  feeble-minded  families.  These  families 
are  dependent  on  public  charity.  TEey  are  also  the  law-breakers. 
The  number  of  children  in  these  families  rapidly  increases  and  the 
new  generation  is  a  degree  lower  in  intelligence  than  the  parents. 
These  families  lay  upon  the  State  one  of  the  heaviest  burdens  which 
it  has  to  bear.  They  know  nothing  of  law,  order  or  moral  and  physical 
decency.  The  children  are  not  only  feeble-minded  but  are  often  blind, 
crippled,  deaf  and  diseased.  Those  who  are  sent  to  school  are  a 
constant  source  of  danger  to  other  children. 

In  Louisville,  a  short  time  ago,  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  women, 
who  were  quarantined  in  the  jail,  were  examined  by  Captain  H.  B. 
Cummings,  Camp  Psychologist  at  Camp  Taylor.  The  examination  of 
these  women  was  made  at  the  request  of  Surgeon  F.  D.  Fricks,  of  the 
United  States  Public  Health  Service.  Of  the  126  examined,  sixty- 
three  were  feeble-minded;  thirty-three  high  grade  morons,  and  twenty- 
eight  were  normal.  The  mental  ages  ranged  from  six  years  and 
three  months  to  fourteen  years  and  ten  months.  These  women  were 
all  victims  of  venereal  disease.  The  point  of  the  situation  is,  said 
Doctor  Fricks,  these  women  are  mentally  children.  They  are  not 
capable  of  taking  care  of  themselves  and  if  they  are  cured  of  their 
venereal  infections  they  are  released  only  to  become  diseased  again 
and  to  continue  an  endless  chain  of  misery  for  themselves  and  an 
expense  for  the  county  and  city.  But  they  are  not  only  an  expense, 
they  are  a  danger  to  the  community  as  they  are  constantly  spreading 
disease.  What  they  need  is  a  suitable  place  of  quarantine  where 
they  can  be  cared  for  properly  as  feeble-minded  or  high  grade  mo- 
rons are  cared  for.  Segregation  and  permanent  control  by  the  State 
on  the  colony  farm  is  the  solution  of  the  question. 

In  addition  to  the  examination  made  of  the  women  in  the  county 
jail  sixty  cases  were  examined  by  Henrietta  V.  Race,  Director  of  the 


40 

Psychological  Lraboratory,  administration  building,  of  Leuisville  Pub- 
lic Schools,  with  the  following  results: 

Normal   intelligence   8 

Inferior  intelligence   8 

High  grade  morons  9 

Feeble-minded  35 

All  of  these  were  brought  to  Miss  Race  by  the  Associated  Chari- 
ties. Proper  psychological  examinations  would  realize  the  same  de- 
plorable conditions  in  every  community  in  the  State. 

Many  States  in  which  training  camps  were  established  reported 
increased  delinquency  among  women  and  girls,  invasion  by  hordes  of 
questionable  characters  from  other  States  and  the  break  down  of  the 
jail  system,  due  mainly  to  the  inability  of  local  authorities  to  deal  ade- 
quately with  the  venereally  diseased  prisoners.  Congress  has  en- 
acted and  put  in  force  Federal  legislation  for  protection  of  soldiers 
and  sailors.  Municipal  and  State  authorities  have  co-operated  with 
the  Federal  Government  in  meeting  this  situation.  South  Carolina  and 
Michigan  have  followed  Massachusetts  in  requiring  that  certain  vene- 
really diseased  persons  shall  be  quarantined  until  cured.  Minnesota, 
Masachusetts  and  California  have  been  especially  active  in  measures 
to  control  venereal  disease,  a  movement  that  has  taken  on  new  life 
now  that  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  American  Public 
Health  Association,  and  the  Army  and  Navy  Departments  have  de- 
clared that  a  life  of  continence  is  compatible  with  health.  Kentucky 
is  co-operating  with  the  Federal  Government.  South  Carolina's  legis- 
lature of  1918  established  an  industrial  school  for  girls  and  an  lnsti« 
tution  for  the  feeble-minded  with  appropriations  of  $40,000  and  $60,000 
respectively.  The  committee  on  protective  work  for  girls  secured 
$250,000  of  Federal  funds  to  be  used  in  providing  institutional  facili- 
ties for  dealing  with  prostitutes.  Minnesota  has  enacted  a  law  pro- 
viding for  the  commitment  of  the  feeble-minded  to  State  control, 
whether  the  alleged  feeble-minded  person  or  his  relatives  desire  it 
or  not.  The  measure  is  designed  to  protect  the  community  and  to 
provide  wise  and  humane  care  for  the  mental  defectives. 

The  United  States  Public  Health  Service,  in  a  pamphlet  (War  on 
Venereal  Diseases)  says:  "Before  the  war  most  physicians  and  pub- 
lic health  officers  knew  that  gonorrhea  was  every  year  causing  blind- 
ness among  infants — Miss  Linda  Neville  can  tell  you  about  the  Ken- 
tucky cases — countless  surgical  operations  on  women,  and  sterility 
in  men  and  women:  that  syphilis  was  being  transmitted  to  offspring 
causing  physical  and  mental  defectives,  that  it  is  a  prolific  cause  of 
locomotor  ataxia,  paralysis,  paresis  or  softening  of  the  brain,  insanity, 
miscarriages,  diseases  of  the  heart,  blood-vessels  and  vital  organs.  But 
generally  people  did  not  know  these  things  and  few  remedial  meas- 
ures were  taken.  The  war  opened  our  eyes.  The  reports  of  draft 
boards  and  camp  surgeons  revealed  for  the  first  time  clearly  the  men 


41 

acing  seriousness  of  the  venereal  problem  and  the  failure  of  our  pre- 
war attitude  towards  the  whole  question. 

Diseased  prostitutes  are  the  most  dangerous  carriers;  they  must 
be  quarantined  and  the  community  safeguarded  against  their  return 
as  prostitutes,  First,  by  means  of  permanent  segregation  of  the  fee- 
ble-minded, and  second,  by  medical  treatment  and  industrial  educa- 
tion for  the  others. 

This  is  not  a  job  for  sentimentalists  or  fly-by-night  enthusiasts. 
It  is  a  task  for  hard-headed  business  and  professional  men  and  capa- 
ble women.  It  is  a  job  for  citizens  who  feel  responsible  for  their 
community  and  their  nation  In  times  of  peace  as  well  as  war. 

Present  research  has  shown  that  feeble-mindedness  Is  so  closely 
linked  with  the  increasingly  serious  problems  of  vice,  vagabondage, 
pauperism  and  crime,  that  some  authorities  are  insisting  that  as  high 
as  fifty  per  cent  of  all  criminals  are  feeble-minded.  In  Massachusetts 
Dr.  A.  Warren  Stearns  and  other  psycho-pathologists  found  evidence 
of  feeble-mindedness  in  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  inmates  of  the  reform- 
atories for  men,  twenty-four  pr  cent  of  the  unfortunates  confined  in 
the  reformatory  for  women,  twenty-three  per  cent  of  the  criminals  in 
the  Charleston  State  prison  and  over  fifty  per  cent  of  a  large  group 
of  immoral  women.  About  twenty-five  per  cent  of  a  thousand  delin- 
quent boys  and  girls  in  Ohio  were  found  by  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Haines 
to  be  feeble-minded. 

Dr.  Bernard  Glueck,  director  of  the  psychiatric  clinic  at  Sing  Sing 
prison,  in  a  mental  survey  of  six  hundred  consecutive  admissions 
to  the  prison  discovered  that  no  less  than  twenty-eight  per  cent,  of 
the  convicts  examined  had  a  mentality  inferior  to  that  of  a  twelve  year 
old  child.  Dr.  Henry  H.  Goddard,  testing  the  mentality  of  one  hundred 
children  brought  on  various  charges  before  the  juvenile  court  of 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  found  sixty-six  per  cent,  distinctly  feeble-minded. 
The  same  investigator,  studying  the  relationship  between  alcoholism 
and  feeble-mindedness  was  led  to  the  conclusion  that  at  least  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  of  drunkards  are  drunkards  because  they  are  feeble- 
minded and  unable  to  control  their  appetites.  Applying  the  standard 
mental  tests  to  large  groups  of  school  children,  in  many  states,  mental 
deficiency  was  found  so  prevalent  that  the  investigating  scientists 
deemed  it  conservative  to  affirm  that  at  least  two  per  cent,  of  school 
children,  or  one  in  two  hundred  of  the  population  are  feeble-minded. 
This  would  give  the  United  States  a  feeble-minded  population  of  more 
than  five  hundred  thousand.  Since  feeble-mindedness  is  inheritable, 
so  that  a  feeble-minded  person  is  likely  to  have  a  feeble-minded  child, 
even  when  mated  to  a  person  of  normal  mentality— the  gravity  of  the 
menace  thus  constituted  to  the  future  of  the  United  States  is  obvious. 

Kentucky  should  follow  the  lead  of  Minnesota  and  enact  a  law 
providing  for  the  commitment  of  all  her  feeble-minded  to  State  con- 
trol "whether  the  alleged  feeble-minded  person  or  relatives  desire  it  or 


42 

not."  Only  in  this  way  can  she  prevent  the  increase,  and  lessen  the 
number  of  her  feeble-minded  population. 

The  United  States  Public  Health  Service  is  becoming  thoroughly 
aroused  in  regard  to  the  menace  to  the  country,  threatened  by  the  na- 
tion wide  spread  of  mental  defectiveness. 

In  the  last  Public  Health  Report,  February  14th,  Surgeon  General 
Rupert  Blue  says:  "With  the  increasing  recognition  by  health  authori- 
ties of  the  significance  of  mental  diseases  as  a  health  problem,  there 
is  a  growing  demand  for  assistance  in  the  formulation  of  a  program  of 
practicable  control  and  preventive  measures  which  can  be  inaugurated 
by  health  administrators.  The  United  States  Public  Health  Service 
plans  to  carry  on  as  rapidly  as  funds  become  available  for  such  purpose 
the  following  program  of  activities.  Such  a  program  should  take  into 
consideration: 

A.  The  most  effective  means  by  which  the  several  Government 
agencies  can  cooperate  in  studies  and  investigations  of  mental  hygiene 

B.  The  problems  of  better  care  and  treatment  of  the  insane, 
mental  defective,  and  epileptic. 

C.  Measures  for  the  prevention  of  mental  disorders. 

So  far  as  these  considerations  are  concerned  the  studies  and  in- 
vestigations already  made  by  the  Public  Health  Service  indicate  the 
following  activities  as  desirable  and  practicable. 

A.— COOPERATION    WITH    OTHER    GOVERNMENT   AGENCIES 

1.  In  a'^dition  to  the  duties  prescribed  by  law  as  related  to  the 
mental  examination  of  arriving  aliens,  cooperation  with  the  Depart- 
ment of  Labor  (a)  to  establish  a  school  for  the  training  of  medical 
officers  as  mental  hygienists,  (b)  to  provide  facilities  for  training 
nurses  and  assistants  for  duties  in  mental  hygiene  work  and  (c)  to 
investigate  the  care  and  treatment  of  insane  aliens  confined  under 
immigration  laws  in  public  and  private  institutions  at  Government 
expense. 

2  Cooperation  with  other  bureaus  of  the  Treasury  Department 
in  the  mental  examination  of  coastwise  pilots,  locomotive  engineers, 
and  train  dispatchers  as  a  safeguard  to  the  traveling  public. 

3.  Cooperation  with  other  departments  or  bureaus  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  advise  practical  methods  for  the  mental  examination  of 
civil  employees  of  the  Government  with  a  view  to  determine  their 
fitness  for  different  occupations, 

4.  Cooperation  with  the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  the  study 
and  prevention  of  insanity  and  mental  deficiency  among  the  wards 
of  the  Government,  such  as  Indians,  Esquimaux,  and  other  primitive 
races  for  which  the  Government  is  responsible. 

5.  Cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  division  of  edu- 
cational methods  from  the  standpoint  of  mental  hygiene. 


43       ' 

6.  Cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  devising  practi- 
cal plans  for  the  establishment  of  special  classes  for  the  training  oil 
feeble-minded  and  delinquent  children. 

7.  Cooperation  with  the  State  department  of  justice  and  other 
agencies  to  secure  (a)  the  adoption  of  a  model  law  providing  for  the 
early  treatment  of  mental  disorders,  (b)  the  enactment  of  a  model 
commitment  law,  and  (c)  the  establishment  of  psychiatric  pavilions 
in  general  hospitals. 

8.  Cooperation  with  Federal  and  State  departments  of  justice  to 
secure. the  establishment  of  psychiatric  clinics  in  connection  with  the 
courts  to  determine  the  mental  status  of  criminals,  dependents,  and 
delinquents  appear'ng  before  the  courts. 

B.— PREVENTION. 

1.  Cooperation  with  State  and  local  agencies  to  secure  the  adop- 
tion of  a  law  making  certain  types  of  mental  disorders  reportable  to 
the  health  authorities. 

2.  Reviewing  and  publishing  State  laws  of  commitment  of  the  in- 
sane and  feeble-minded. 

3.  Cooperation  with  the  State  and  other  agencies  to  determine 
the  prevalence  of  the  insane,  feeble-minded,  alcoholics  and  epilep- 
tics. 

4.  Investigating  the  prevalence  and  the  care  and  the  treatment 
of  the  insane,  epileptics,  feeble-minded,  criminal  and  dependent 
classes. 

5.  Compiling  a  national  reference  index  of  the  literature  on  men- 
tal hygiene. 

6.  Investigating  mental  status  in  relation  to  certain  constitution- 
al diseases  and  drug  addiction. 

7.  Cooperation  with  the  industrial  hygiene  unit  of  the  United 
States  Public  Health  Service  in  the  studies  and  investigations  of  the 
mental  status  of  workmen  as  related  to  output,  f.tness  for  the  job, 
protection  from  health  and  injury  hazards,  and  permanence  of  em- 
i^loyment. 

8.  Cooperation  with  the  child  hygiene  unit  of  the  service  in  the 
study  and  investigation  of  insanity  in  children  and  of  the  personality 
of  the  potentially  insane. 

9.  Cooperation  with  the  Division  of  Venereal  Diseases  in 
studies  and  investigations  of  the  mental  status  of  prostitutes  and  of 
the  relation  of  venereal  diseases  to  mental  disorder. 

LEGISLATION. 

If  the  Kentucky  Division  of  the  National  Council  of  Defense  and 
the  Federated  Clubs  of  the  State  will  lend  their  aid  and  influence,  I 
believe   that  the  next  General   Assembly   can   be   induced   to   amend 


44 

the  New  Feeble-minded  Law  so  as  to  correct  some  errors  of  vital  im- 
portance which  will  make  it  almost  ideal. 

First  of  all  and  most  important  of  all,  the  Legislature  should  be 
asked  to  take  such  action  as  will  divorce  our  Charitable  Institutions 
entirely  and  forever  from  political  control.  Unless  this  is  done  very- 
little,  if  any,  progress  can  be  made  toward  lessening  the  number  or 
improving  the  condition  of  our  mentally  defective  population.  Every 
state  eleemosynary  institution  in  Kentucky  is  handicapped  by  the 
blight  of  political  control.  The  Board  of  Control,  which  under  the  law 
is  supposed  to  have  the  entire  and  supreme  management  of  all  these 
institutions,  is  itself  hampered  by  the  same  political  frost.  Ostensi- 
bly it  has  supreme  control  of  the  affairs  of  the  State  Hospitals  for 
the  insane;  of  the  Feeble-Minded  Institute  and  institution;  of  the 
schools  of  reform,  for  the  blind,  for  the  deaf  and  of  the  penal  insti- 
tutions of  the  State. 

It  is  supposed  to  select  and  appoint  superintendents  and  assist- 
ant physicians;  the  steward,  the  receiver  for  all  institutions  for 
mental  defectives,  insane  or  feeble-minded.  It  is  supposed  to  select 
the  warden  and  the  guards  of  the  penitentiary  at  Eddyville  and  of  the 
Reformatory  at  Frankfort.  Hypothetically  this  is  true  but  as  a  matter 
of  fact  the  Board  of  Control  has  no  such  power  or  privilege.  The  Ad- 
ministration alone  has  the  power  to  make  these  appointments  and 
does  make  them;  it  also  appoints  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Con- 
trol. 

It  is  encouraging  to  know  that  two  candidates  for  Governor  and 
one  for  Lieutenant  Governor,  have  announced  in  their  platform,  to 
use,  if  elected,  their  influence  to  have  this  wrong  corrected. 

Mr.  Edward  W.  Hines,  Chairman  of  the  Kentucky  Council  of  De- 
fense, in  a  letter  to  me  says,  "I  am  ready  to  aid  you  in  any  way  within 
my  power  in  having  our  charitable  institutions  entirely  and  forever 
divorced  from  political  control."  I  think  the  Federated  Clubs  will  also 
aid.  Civil  service  reform— if  applied  in  the  selection  of  the  Medical 
Staff  of  these  institutions — would  perhaps  go  far  toward  accomplish- 
ing this  divorce. 

COMMITMENTS. 

Proper  examinations  by  competent  psychologists  and  psychopa- 
thists  for  diagnosis  and  to  determine  consignment  to  proper  institu- 
tions of  all  mental  defectives  coming  before  courts — also  for  criminal 
delinquents — should  be  imperative.  The  early  recognition  of  mental 
disorders  cannot  be  generally  expected  until  medical  schools  give 
more  attention  to  them.  It  is  a  generally  accepted  fact  that  the  ma- 
jority of  graduates  from  medical  schools  have  very  little,  if  any, 
knowledge  of  the  nature  of  mental  diseases,  because  they  have  had 
little  or  no  opportunity  to  study  this  branch  of  medical  science. 


49 

(Suggestion  that  psychology  and  psychopathy  should  be  taught 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Louisville  should  be 
made.) 

PROVISION   FOR  NEGRO  FEEBLE-MINDED. 

J.  L.  Kesler,  Dean,  Baylor  University,  Waco,  Texas,  in  speaking 
of  "The  Negro  in  Relation  to  our  Public  Agencies  and  Institutions," 
says:  "The  negro  problem,  public  or  private,  industrial  or  institu- 
tional, is  a  human  problem.  Every  injustice  to  the  negro  from  public 
agency  or  private  is  an  injury  to  the  white  man  and  imperils  the 
best  interests  of  the  national  life.  If  the  Negro  is  to  be  a  citizen, 
if  he  is  to  live  among  us,  (and  we  of  the  South  like  him,  would  not 
be  without  him,  and  count  ourselves  his  best  friends),  then  we  must 
give  him  a  chance,  and  an  equal  chance  with  all  others.  There  are 
men  and  women  who  have  social  sympathies  and  social  interests  and 
who  take  part  in  and  support  all  agencies  and  institutions  working 
for  the  welfare  of  the  community  life.  It  is  true  that  we  have  not 
yet  gone  far  in  cooperative  social  work.  The  juvenile  Negro  criminal 
and  delinquent  girl  (the  majority  of  whom  are  feeble-minded),  are 
not  sufficiently  provided  for  by  either  private  or  public  institutions; 
nor  is  there  sufficient  provision  for  the  juvenile  offender  of  the  white 
race.  But  the  old  way  of  making  confirmed  criminals  out  of  this  raw 
material  is  to  yield  to  educational  and  preventive  measures.  It  is 
true  also  that  sanitary  prison  reforms,  settlement  work,  and  public 
welfare  enterprises  generally  have  too  largely  left  the  Negro  out  of 
count.  Cooperative  welfare  agencies  have  made  hopeful  beginnings, 
however,  in  Louisville,  Nashville,  Atlanta,  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  a 
few  other  places.  We  are  beginning  to  wake  up.  We  are  moving 
toward  a  better  day.  We  are  beginning  to  see  that  the  negro  is  an 
asset  or  peril  as  we  help  him  to  rise  or  let  him  alone." 

The  Negro  is  well  cared  for  in  all  our  State  Hospitals  for  the  In- 
sane, but  no  provision  is  made  for  him  in  our  Feeble-Minded  Institu- 
tion.  Is  that  fair?   Is  it  right? 

OTHER  AMENDMENTS  THAT  SHOULD  BE  MADE. 

Abolishment  of  committees  and  guardians  and  parole  for  the 
feeble-minded.  To  make  it  the  duty  of  all  health  officers,  district  and 
county  nurses  to  report  all  feeble-minded  persons  whom  they  dis- 
cover, to  the  proper  county  officials. 

Registration.  Make  a  census  as  complete  as  possible,  of  feeble- 
minded in  the  State,  obtaining  all  possible  light  on  their  family  his- 
tories and  surroundings.    (This  should  be  done  by  Fiscal  Court). 

Registration  and  examination  of  all  prostitutes — physical  and 
mental. 

Dr.  Paul  E.  Powers,  who  has  been  doing  psychological  and  psy- 
chopathic work  for  the  Federal  Government  in  the  army  mobilizing 


46 

and  training-  camps,  in  his  book  the  "Panvvns  of  Fate,"  says; 
"Chief  Justice  Kennington  was  the  father  ^of  the  idea  that  every 
court  in  the  land  should  have  attached  to  it  a  psychopathic  labora- 
tory where  the  mentality  of  criminals  is  investigated,  where,  in  truth, 
all  the  factors  that  plot  against  man  for  his  downfall,  are  carefully 
studied.  In  the  court  over  which  he  presided  the  facts  of  the  viola- 
tion of  the  law  were  first  carefully  determined;  then  the  report  of  the 
medical  investigation  was  submitted  to  the  judge  after  conviction  and 
before  sentence  was  pronounced.  This  information  furnished  the 
judge  with  the  knowledge  that  would  enable  him  to  decide  whetheT 
the  individual  should  have  a  suspended  sentence,  be  sent  to  prison, 
to  a  hospital  for  the  insane  or  ip  an  institution  for  the  feeble-minded. 
The  courts  of  the  big  cities  recognized  the  value  and  justice  of  this 
judicial  reform  and  estal)lished  such  laboratories.  The  prisons  heard 
the  call.  Great  changes  are  being  worked  out  in  their  administration. 
The  political  grafters,  who  had  so  long  held  sway,  are  being  sent  about 
their  business  and  scientific  men  put  in  their  places.  The  prisons 
became  schools  for  the  training  of  the  hand,  head  and  heart,  they 
became  hospitals  also,  where  all  remedial  medical  and  surgical  de- 
fects were  taken  care  of;  where  prisoners  were  freed,  if  possible,  of 
their  mental  and  physical  burdens;  while  those  who  were  found  to 
be  incurably  defective,  no  matter  what  their  crimes  might  be,  great 
or  small,  were  kept  in  permanent  custodial  care  for  their  own  benefit, 
and  the  welfare  of  society." 

The  fact  that  investigation,  made  by  the  Division  of  Psychology 
of  the  United  States  Army,  directed  by  Major  Robert  M.  Yerkes,  has 
shown  that  approximately  twenty  per  cent  of  the  drafted  and  en- 
listed men  that  have  been  mobilized  were  so  inferior  mentally  and 
physically  as  to  be  unfit  for  regular  military  service,  together  with 
the  recognition  of  the  wide  prevalence  of  mental  defect  among  con- 
firmed prostitutes — those,  therefore  most  likely  to  be  venerally  dis- 
eased— is  stimulating  the  Nation  in  the  movement  for  provision  for 
the  feeble-minded.  All  prostitutes  should  be  transferred  to  the  colony 
farm  for  health  and  treatment  as  well  as  to  prevent  their  spreading 
venereal  diseases. 


Address  by  Professor  George  Baker,  University  of  Ken- 
tucky. 

Subject:  ''Educational  Bills  in  Congress." 

One  outstanding  result  o'l  the  war  is  an  increased  emphasis  and 
activity  on  education  both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  The  new  Eng- 
lish education  law  providing  for  compulsory  attendance  from  five  to 
fourteen  years  of  age  in  the  public  elementary  schools  is  an  example 
of  a  national  reawakening  to  the  significancp  of  improved  elementary 


4T 

educational  opportunities.  Our  65th  Congress  lias  displayed  commend- 
able activity  and  a  commendably  broad  viewpoint  in  the  matter  of 
remedial  educational  legislation.  Many  of  the  present  educational 
emphases  are  obviously  a  direct  outgrowth  of  the  war. 

The  outstanding  emphases  appear  to  be  in  the  following  directions : 

1.  Americanization. 

2.  Illiteracy. 

3.  Vocational   rehabilitation   of   soldiers,   sailors   and   industrial 
workers. 

4.  Provision  for  industrial  education  especially  along  the  line 
of  engineering. 

5.  Military  training  in  schools  and  colleges. 

6.  Provisions    for    an    American    academy    of    government   and 
diplomacy. 

7.  Provisions  relative  to  improvement  of  public  health. 

8.  The  creation  of  National  Department  of  Education.       ' 

9.  Provisions  for  state  wide  investigation   of  educational   con- 
ditions, looking  especially  to  improvement,  of  rural  education. 

10.     Provisions  for  educational  extension. 

It  is  apparent  that  at  least  eight  or  possibly  nine  of  these  ten 
emphases  are  directly  the  result  of  the  war. 

The  most  important  educational  bills  now  pending  in  Congress  are 
probably  the  following: 

The  Towner  Bill  (H.  R.  15400)  to  create  a  National  Department 
of  Education  with  an  annual  appropriation  of  $100,000,000  to  be  spent 
as  follows: 

$  7,500,000  for  elimination  of  illiteracy. 
7,500,000  for  Americanization. 

50,000,000  for  public  schools. 

20,000,000  for  physical  and  health  education. 

15,000,000  for  preparation  of  teachers. 

The  Smith  Bill  (S.  5464)  and  the  Bankhead  Bill  (H.  R.  154£)2)  to 
remove  illiteracy  and  promote  Americanization. 

The  Lever  Bill  (H.  R.  14185)  to  promote  the  health  of  rural  popu- 
lation of  the  United  States. 

The  Sears  Bill  (H.  R.  6387)  to  promote  the  improvement  of  rural 
education. 

The  Henderson  Bill  (S.  5416)  to  establish  engineering  experiment 
stations  in  the  States  and  territories  receiving  benefits  of  the  Act  of 
1862. 

The  Swift  Bill  (H.  R.  14292)  to  establish  an  American  Academy  of 
Government  and  Diplomacy. 

The  Fess  Bill  (H.  R.  7330)  to  create  a  National  University  at 
Washington,  D.  C. 

All  of  the  above  bills,  with  the  possible  exception  of  two,  were 
introduced  during  January,  1919. 


48 


AMERICANIZATION 

The  Americanization  of  our  immigrant  population  has  during  the 
life  of  the  65th  Congress  received  repeated  attention.  Developments 
incident  to  the  war  have  opened  our  eyes  to  the  uncomfortable  fact 
that,  contrary  to  Israel  Zangwill,  America  has  somehow  failed  to  func- 
tion as  an  efficient  "melting  pot".  As  someone  has  said,  our  melting 
pot  needs  skimming.  Our  sympathies  have  run  away  with  our  common 
sense.  We  undoubtedly  have  in  the  United  States  among  our  13,000,- 
000  foreign  born,  some  millions  of  people  whose  viewpoint  is  decidedly 
un-American,  and  who  have  relatively  little  appreciation  of  or  sympathy 
for  American  problems.  ^In  the  words  of  the  King  Bill  of  July,  1918, 
(S.  4792)  such  bills  aim  at  arousing  a  higher  regard  for  the  privileges 
of  American  citizenship  in  the  minds  of  all  permanent  residents  of  the 
United  States.  The  two  latest  bills  introduced,  January,  1919,  on  the 
subject  of  Americanization  are  the  Hoke  Smith  Bill  in  the  Senate 
(S.  5464)  and  the  Bankhead  Bill  in  the  House  (H.  R.  15402).  The  pre- 
amble of  these  bills  is  identical  and  in  the  following  words:  "To  pro- 
mote the  education  of  native  illiterates,  of  persons  unable  to  under- 
stand and  use  the  English  language,  and  of  other  resident  persons  of 
foreign  birth;  to  provide  for  co-operation  with  the  States  in  the  educa- 
tion of  such  persons  in  the  English  language,  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  government  and  citizenship,  the  elements  of  knowledge  per- 
taining to  self-support  and  home  making,  and  in  such  other  work  as 
will  assist  in  preparing  such  illiterates  and  foreign-born  persons  for 
successful  living  and  intelligent  American  citizenship".  These  bills 
provide  for  an  appropriation  of  $5,000,000  for  1919,  and  $12,500,000 
until  1921. 

The  Towner  Bill  introduced  January  30,  1919  (H.  R.  15400)  carries 
an  annual  appropriation  of  $7,500,000  for  Americanization. 

ILLITERACY 

The  organization  of  the  American  army  thru  the  first  selective 
draft  revealed  the  fact  that  an  astonishing  number  of  the  men  were 
Illiterate,  namely  700,000  between  the  ages  of  twenty-one  and  thirty- 
one.  The  percentage  of  illiteracy  in  the  first  draft  ran  from  fourteen 
per  cent,  in  South  Dakota  to  forty-six  per  cent,  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
Kentucky  percentage  ran  from  thirty  to  thirty-five.  The  second  draft 
would  no  doubt  have  revealed  far  greater  numbers  of  illiterates.  The 
Smith  Bill  of  March,  1918  (S.  4185)  aims  at  requiring  the  National 
Commissioner  of  Education  to  devise  methods  and  promote  plans  for 
the  elimination  of  adult  illiteracy  in  the  United  States,  providing  an 
appropriation  for  the  same.  This  bill  is  still  pending.  The  Smith- 
Bankhead  Bill  previously  outlined,  aims  at  promoting  the  education  of 
native  illiterates  as  well  as  of  foreign  immigrants.  The  Towner  Bill 
carries  an  annual  appropriation  of  $7,500,000  for  the  elimination  of 
illiteracy.  The  James  Bill  (S.  3704)  aims  to  create  a  commission  on 
illiteracy  to  be  known  as  the  American  Illiteracy  Commission. 


49 

VOCATIONAL  REHABILITATION 

The  most  important  bill  relating  to  vocational  rehabilitation  was 
the  Smith-Sears  Act  introduced  in  April,  1918,  by  Senator  Hoke  Smith. 
This  bill  passed  the  Senate  on  May  25th  and  the  House  on  June  10th 
unanimously.  The  act  delegates  to  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational 
Education  the  duty  of  re-educating  the  disabled  men  in  some  useful 
employment  of  which  they  shall  be  deemed  capable  of  following  with 
profit.  While  the  men  are  taking  the  special  courses  compensation 
will  be  allowed  them  and  family  allowances  will  be  paid  their  families 
precisely  as  if  the  men  were  still  in  active  service.  At  the  conclusion 
of  the  course  agencies  will  be  ready  for  assistance  in  the  placement 
of  the  re-educated  men  in  civil  life.  In  September,  1918,  Mr.  Bankhead 
introduced  a  bill  (H.  R.  12880)  to  provide  for  the  promotion  of  voca- 
tional rehabilitation.  This  bill  provided  an  appropriation  of  $500,000 
for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1919;  $750,000  for  the  year  1920  and 
annually  thereafter  the  sum  of  $1,000,000;  said  sum  shall  be  allotted 
to  the  States  in  the  proportion  which  their  population  bears  to  the 
total  population  of  the  United  States;  the  allotment  funds  to  any  state 
shall  not  be  less  than  $5,000  for  any  fiscal  year;  the  state  shall  raise 
an  amount  equal  to  the  Federal  appropriation. 

INDUSTRIAL    EDUCATION 

Engineering  appears  to  be  receiving  greater  emphasis  in  the  65th 
Congress  than  any  other  line  of  industrial  education.  The  Henderson 
Bill  of  January,  1919,  (S.  5416)  aims  to  establish  engineering  experi- 
ment stations  for  the  purpose  of  further  developing  the  college  in 
each  state  and  territories  now  receiving  benefits  of  the  Act  of  1862, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  natural  resources  of  the  United 
States  as  a  measure  of  industrial,  military  and  naval  preparedness. 
Outside  of  bills  related  to  specific  states,  there  seems  to  be  no  bill 
dealing  with  agricultural  training. 

MILITARY  TRAINING 

The  Sears  Bill  of  April,  1918  (H.  R.  11189),  aims  to  promote  mili- 
tary training  by  providing  scholarships  for  students  enrolled  in  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning.   This  bill  was  still  pending  last  January. 

ACADEMY  OF  GOVERNMENT  AND  DIPLOMACY 

The  Swift  Bill  of  January,  1919,  (H.  R.  14292)  seeks  to  establish 
the  American  Academy  of  Government  and  Diplomacy,  to  be  located 
in  the  District  of  Columbia.  The  objects  of  this  academy  are  to  pro- 
mote the  science  of  government  and  the  knowledge  of  international 
law  and  diplomacy.  The  academy  shall  be  under  the  immediate  juris- 
diction of  a  Board  of  Governors  composed  of  fifteen  members,  includ- 
ing the  President  and  Vice  President  of  the  United  States  and  the  Sec- 
retary of  State. 


PUBLIC  HEALTH 

In  January,  1919,  the  Lever  Bill  (H.  R.  14185)  was  introduced  to 
provide  that  the  United  States  shall  co-operate  with  the  States  in 
promoting  the  health  of  the  rural  population  of  the  United  States. 
For  the  purpose  of  this^act  the  term  rural  health  work  shall  he  con- 
strued-to  include  such  methods  and  means  as  may  he  appropriate  for 
the  prevention,  control,  and  mitigation  of  diseases.  Liberal  appro- 
priations are  provided.  The  Towner  Bill  introduced  January  30,  1919, 
(H.  R.  15400.)  carries  an  annual  appropriation  of  $20,000,000  for  physi- 
cal and  health  education.  The  need  for  public  health  work  was 
brought  home  to  the  country  at  large  by  the  fact  that  an  alarming 
per  cent,  of  the  men  examined  in  the  draft  were  found  to  be  physically 
unfit  for  service. 

NATIONAL  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION 

On  January  30,  1919,  Mr.  Towner,  of  Iowa,  introduced  a  bill  (H.  R. 
15400)  to  create  a  National  Department  of  Education,  and  to  authorize 
appropriations  for  the  conduct  of  said  department.  This  bill  is  sub- 
stantially the  same  as  that  previously  introduced  by  Senator  Hoke 
Smith,  of  Georgia,  and  known  as  the  Smith  Bill  or  the  N.  E.  A.  Bill. 
This  bill  was  introduced  at  the  request  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Labor,  the  American  Federation  of  Teachers  and  the  National 
Education  Association.  It  appropriates  $100,000,000  annually  to  be 
divided  as  follows: 

$  7,500,000  for  elimination  of  illiteracy. 
7,500,000  for  Americanization. 

50,000,000  for  public  schools. 

20,000,000  for  physical  and  health  education. 

15,000,000  for  preparation  of  teachers. 

The  appropriation  of  $50,000,000  for  public  schools  is  to  be  used' 
for 'the.. partial  payment  of  teachers'  salaries,  providing  better  instruc- 
tion, extending  school  terms  and  tor  improving  rural  schools. 

The  Secretary  of  Education,  who  is  to  be  the  Head  of  the  Depart- 
ment; is  to  be  appointed  by  the  President  with  the  advice  of  the  Senate, 
and  shall  receive  $12,000  per  annum,  and  whose  tenure  of  office  shall 
be  like  that  of  the  heads  of  other  executive  departments.  This  bill 
transfers  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  the  Department  of  Education, 
thus  giving  education  recognition  in  the  President's  cabinet  on  a  par 
with-' the  other  executive  departments. 

EDUCATIONAL   INVESTIGATION 

In  June,  1918,  Mr.  Husted  introduced  a  joint  resolution  in  the 
House,  which  is  still  pending,  to  provide  for  a  commission  to  inquire 
into  the  condition  of  public  education  in  the  several  States  and  to 
recommend  such  measures  as  it  may  deem  advisable  for  the  improve- 
ment of  same. 


RURAL  EDUCATION 

The  Towner  Bill  (H.  R.  15400)  appropriates  $50,000,000  to  encour- 
age the  States  in  the  equalization  of  educational  opportunities,  espec- 
ially in  the  sparsely  settled  localities.  The  Sears  Bill  (H.  R.  63S7) 
aims  to  promote  the  improvement  of  rural  education.  This  bill  appro- 
priates $275,000  annually  to  he  used  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  for 
the  study  and  improvement  of  rural  education. 


TTTESDAY  EVENING  SESSION. 

Hon.  J.\^rr:s;  D.    Rt.ack,    Lieviteiiant    Governor    of    Kcntiacky., 

Presiding. 

Address  by  James  E.  Rogers,  Field  Secretary  of  War  Camp 
Community  Service,  New  York  City. 

Subject:  '^Community  Organization." 

The  call  for  community  organization  and  for  community  service 
has  been  answered  throughout  this  country.  To  win  the  War,  com- 
munities v/ere  organized  into  community  groups  for  community  ser- 
vice; food,  fuel  and  child  conservation;  Red  Cross  and  United  War 
Work  campaigns;  Liberty  Loan  and  War  Saving  Stamps  drives;  War 
Camp  Community  Service;  and  the  like. 

Perhaps  the  finest  benefit  that  has  come  from  the  War  has  been 
the  development  of  this  national  volunteer  service  -by  the  whole  people 
of  the  communities.  This  war  was  in  good  part  won  not  by  armies 
but  by  nations;  not  by  soldiers  but  by  civilians.  The  huge*  organized 
army  of  civilian  volunteers  that  got  back  of  the  government  mandates 
made  the  early  winning  of  this  war  possible. 

If  this  war  is  to  be  worth  while,  we  must  conserve  and  continue 
this  splendid  development  in  our  national  and  communal  life — com- 
munity organization  and  community  service.  We  must  preserve  this 
wonderful  spirit  of  co-operation,  sacrifice  and  patriotism.  We  must 
not  lose  this  potential  force  for  great  good  to  meet  the  perplexing 
problems  of  the  future.  The  need  for  patriotism  in  peace  is  greater 
than  the  need  for  patriotism  in  war.  * 

There  is  a  universal  demand  for  community  organization.  Uni- 
versities and  colleges  are  creating  departments  of  community  organi- 
zation; national,  state  and  local  governments  are  propaganding  fojj  its 
continuation;  councils  of  defence  and  other  agencies  are  asking  for 
the  creation  of  community  councils;  churches  and  other  societies  are 
talking  in  terms  of  community  service;  schools  and  social  agencies  are 
advocating  the  wider  use  of  public  facilities.  Chambers  of  Commerce, 
Boards  of  Trade,  Rotary  Clubs,  Women's  Clubs,  Labor  Unions,  Frater- 
nal Organizations,  etc.,  are  thinking  in  terms  of  community  service. 


52 

Besides  being  organized  for  a  specific  purpose,  all  of  these  organiza- 
tions can  be  utilized  for  civic  welfare  and  together  they  can  do  much 
in  community  organization  to  make  our  towns  and  cities  decent  places 
to  live  in  as  well  as  to  work  in.  All  of  these  organizations  have  a 
civic  value  that  can  be  utilized  in  the  common  interest  of  the  whole 
community. 

One  of  the  finest  "Win  the  War"  agencies  created  by  the  Govern- 
ment is  the  War  Camp  Community  Service — an  agency,  not  an  organ- 
ization, established  by  the  War  and  Navy  Departments  to  co-ordinate, 
mobilize  and  stimulate  local  communities — the  people  and  organiza- 
tions— to  surround  the  camps  with  hospitality  and  to  create  commun- 
ity team  work  so  as  to  best  serve  the  soldiers.  This  agency  was  to 
be  the  community  itself,  forming  a  clearing  house  whereby  the  in- 
dividuals and  organizations  would  work  together  in  an  efficient, 
smooth  and  unified  manner  for  the  welfare  of  the  camp  and  the  com- 
munity. It  was  not  a  parallel  war  organization  in  the  community  but 
rather  the  coming  together  of  the  war  work  service  into  a  common 
program  to  minister  the  total  community  goodwill  to  the  camp  and 
to  the  soldier. 

The  achievements  of  this  "war  agency"  is  one  of  the  illuminating 
pages  in  the  war  record  of  this  country.  The  list  of  four  hundred  dif- 
ferent activities  is  a  revelation  in  concrete  achievement  as  to  what 
communities  have  done  and  can  do  with  a  unified  program  and  com- 
mon effort.  Through  community  executive  boards  and  central  coun- 
cils, composed  of  leading  key  men  and  women,  and  operating  through 
existing  organizations,  a  well  rounded  program  of  community  hos- 
pitality, education,  information,  recreation,  and  service  was  readily 
accomplished. 

Some  of  the  impressions  and  experiences  of  this  agency,  operat- 
ing in  about  five  hundred  American  communities,  large  and  small, 
with  a  large  staff  of  trained  men  and  women  skilled  in  community  or- 
ganization service,  might  prove  of  value.  In  the  first  place,  it  was 
recognized  that  community  organization  must  be  democratic;  that  is, 
it  must  be  "of,  by  and  for  the  people."  Secondly,  it  was  realized  that 
the  community  from  one  point  of  view  was  divided  into  three  parts:  — 
(1)  the  community  organization  as  seen  in  the  city  government  in  the 
city  hall;  city  government  afj;er  all  is  an  example  of  community  co- 
operation. (2)  The  organized  civic  groups  doing  community  ser- 
vice for  a  specific  purpose,  such  as.  Boards  of  Trade,  Chambers  of 
Commerce,  Women's  Clubs,  Rotary  Clubs,  Civic  Leagues,  etc  (3)  The 
people  themselves — the  unorganized  individuals  to  be  gathered  into 
volunteer  groups  at  the  school  or  the  block  party,  etc. 

In  community  organization,  the  active  participation  of  the  de- 
partments of  city  government,  such  as  School,  Health,  Recreation, 
etc.,  are  essential  to  the  successful  completion  of  any  community  pro- 
gram. In  fact,  the  Schools  and  Playgrounds,  as  neighborhood  centers, 
offer  one  of  the  finest  mediums  to  organize  the  great  mass  of  unat- 


53 

tached  volunteers.  Any  complete  community  program,  therefore,  will 
include  an  intensive  development  of  the  schoolhouse  and  the  play- 
grounds as  a  community  neighborhood  center  where  the  people  may 
meet,  organize,  discuss  and  do  community  service.  One  is  familiar 
v/ith  the  splendid  work  accomplished  at  Gary,  Indiana;  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  and  by  the  South  Park  Playground  System,  of  Chicago, 
Illinois,  The  utilization  of  the  school  building  for  community  organi- 
zation and  community  service  is  not  a  new  thought.  For  the  past 
decade  we  have  some  remarkable  demonstrations  along  this  line 
throughout  the  country.  However,  the  development  of  the  school 
house  as  a  social  center  is  an  integral  part  of  the  complete  com- 
munity program;  it  is  a  means  to  an  end.  It  is  a  big  part  in  a  bigger 
program.  Another  community  manifestation  along  efforts  to  de- 
velop the  communal  life  among  the  people  as  a  whole,  is  the  inter- 
esting social  unit  system  as  established  in  thirty-one  blocks  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  The  block  parties  in  Jersey  and  New  York  and  the 
block  neighborhood  councils  as  established  by  W.  C.  C.  S.  in  New 
York  City  are  also  efforts  in  this  direction  as  are  the  community  coun- 
cils now  being  established  in  a  few  citie's.  These  later  efforts,  how- 
ever, are  all  experimental  and  the  final  verdict  is  yet  to  be  rendered. 
All  these  efforts  are  in  recognition  of  the  fact  that  any  complete 
scheme  of  community  organization  must  include  the  mass  of  the 
people  and  get  down  into  the  homes  and  the  neighborhoods. 

However,  it  is  easy  to  recognize  that  no  community  organization 
or  service  could  be  successful  without  including  a  recognition  of  the 
necessity  of  providing  a  clearing  house  whereby  the  organized  civic 
organizations  would  get  together  on  a  common  plan.  In  fact,  the  mass 
of  the  people  are  members  of  some  one  or  more  of  these  community 
civic  groups,  so  by  getting  together  they  represent  most  of  the  peo- 
ple in  the  community. 

In  a  way  a  community  has  longitudinal  and  latitudinal  lines. 
Longitudinal  lines  represent  the  organized  community  work  being 
Gone  by  the  different  organizations.  The  latitudinal  lines  are  the 
civic  interests  or  subjects  that  these  different  organizations  cover, 
such  as  commercial,  religious,  fraternal,  athletic,  women,  etc.  That 
is.  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  or  Board  of  Trade  is  a  community 
organization  with  a  community  purpose  organized  for  a  specific  civic 
interest — commercial  and  business.  This  is  its  primary  interest, 
but  it  touches  the  other  community  organizations,  for  it  is  interested 
m  good  schools,  playgrounds,  health,  and  morals.  A  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  however,  is  only  one  of  the  longitudinal  lines  in  a  com- 
munity. It  does  not  represent  the  whole  community  in  all  its  interests. 
The  Federation  of  Churches  is  another  civic  organization  with  a  com- 
munity program  to  unite  the  religious  interests  of  the  whole  com- 
munity. However,  it  only  represents  the  united  religious  community 
effort — it  does  not  represent  the  commercial  or  business  interests  for 


the  Chamber  of  Commerce  takes  care  of  this.  Nor  does  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  represent  the  united  community  effort  along  religious 
lines.  Women's  Clubs  represent  a  strong  civic  force.  They  do  not 
represent  the  whole  community,  but  they  do  represent  the  organized 
women  power  in  that  community  for  civic  effort.  Th'e  fraternal  orders 
represent  the  organized  social  life  and  fraternal  life  of  a  community, 
but  this  does  rot  represent  the  organized  ..comm-unity  life  in  those 
community  efforts  fostered  by  the  Chamber,  of  Commerce,  Women's 
Clubs.  Athletic  Associations.  Y.  M.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.'s,  Civic  Leagues, 
etc.  Real  community  organization  would  ;be  th'e  pooling  of  these  or- 
ganizations— general  civic  interests  of  these,  organizations — into  a  com- 
iion  community  interest  united  in  action  and  program.  All  these  or- 
ganizations touch  many  common  mutual  interests,  such  as  community 
singing,  community  hospitality,  community  pageants,  community  in- 
formation, community  athletics,  community  goo4  will.  They  need  a 
clearing  house  by  which  they  can  express  a  common  esprit  du  corps 
in-  the  interest  of  these  mutual  problems.        '       ' 

A  community  like  an  individual  represents  many  motives;^  for 
instance,  the  city  government  does  not  represent' all,  but  it  does 
the  organized  governmental  civic  effort.  In  this  it  follows  the  motive 
of  self-preservation.  We  have  a  police  force,  fire,  health,  education 
and  other  governmental  departments  as  a  mutual  protective  society. 
However,  all  of  us  are  more  than  merely  taxpayers  and,  fortunately 
Dr  unfortunately,  little  part  of  our  daily  lives  is  given  to  our  'city 
government.  In  fact,  most  of  the  time  of  most  of  the  people  is 
found  in  another,  second  great  motive  that  actuates  the  individual 
as  well  as  the  community.  The  interests  of  an  individual  are  cen- 
tered in  hi^  job,  his  business,  his  home,  his  school,  his  fraternal  order, 
his  church,  his  board  of  trade,  his  labor  councils.  Here  we  find 
most  of  the  time  of  most  of  the  people.  ^  This  is  the  production  or  oc- 
cupational  motive.  It  is  a  large  one  in  the  life  of  an  individual  and  a 
community  and  any  true  cooperative  community  movement  must  rec- 
ognize the  necessity  of  bringing  into  conlnion  play  this  occupational 
motive  and  merge  it  into  the  interest  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Then  there  is  the  other  large  motive  that  dominates  the  interest 
1 1  individuals  and  communities — the  motive  f^r  culture,  self-improve- 
ment, public  welfare.  So  we  have  civic  organizations,  as  tor  in- 
stance. Women's  Clubs,  Rotary  Clubs,  Fraternal  Ordpr«,  Philanthropic 
Societies  that  look  after  the  community  development  of  this  third 
motive.  As  the  city  government  takes  care  of  the  first  motive  of 
self-preservation  and  represents  the  clearing  house  in  this,  and  as  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  I^abor  Coimcin'take  care  of  the  second 
motive  of  production,  so  there  is  a  need  of  a  clearing  house  to  co- 
ordinate and  mobilize  aU  efforts  of  individuals  and  organizations 
that  pertain  to  the  third  motive  of  community  'wrelfare.  Such  a  clear- 
ing house  should  not  be  a  parallel  to  existing  civic  organization  but 


an  agency  composed  of  the  whole  community.  It  is  not  a  superposed 
organization  but  a  clearing  house  for  all — not  asking  service  but 
giving  service.  This  point  is  important.  It  is  not  a  round  table 
organization  to  get  together  and  centralize  service,  but  to  decen- 
tralize service.     Service  is  the  keynote  and  touchstone. 

Therefore,  a  community  organization  must  include  (1)  the  or- 
ganized city  government  efforts  that  touch  the  public  welfare  along 
lines  of  the  third  motive;  (2)  the  organized  community  civic  groups; 
(3)  the  mass  of  the  people  through  the  school,  playground,  neighbor- 
hood, etc.,  social  unit  groups,  etc.  This  total  effort  is  the  community 
itself.     It  is  of,  for  and  by  the  community. 

Democracy,  however;  connotes  leadership.  Our  whole  government 
illustrates  this.  Demo<jracy  in  order  not  to  be  anarchy — bolshevikism 
or  mob  rule — must  have  intelligent  leadership  and  a  common  program 
Otherwise  it  means  mob  rule"  and  drift  instead  of  civic  cooperation 
and  mastery.  In  fact,  'when  you  say  community  organization — 
organization  means  program'  and  administration  and  these  latter  mean 
healthful  leadership.  Our  community  school  program  does  not  run 
itself.  We  have  schools,  social  center  departments  with  skilled  paid 
leaders  in  charge.  Chambers  of  Commerce  do  not  run  themselves, 
but  have  boards  of  directors  and  secretaries.  In  our  own  city  gov- 
ernment we  are  recognizing  more  and  more  the  need  of  special  train- 
ing in  city  management.  Our  democratic  social  unit  experiments  are 
conducted  by  funds  and  paid  leaders.  Community  organization  predi- 
cates a  program  and  a  program  predicates  administration  and  admin- 
istration means  some  one  on  the  job  all  the  time.  What  is  every- 
body's business  is  nobody's  business. 

Program,  propaganda,  and  good  will  alone  will  not  continue  com- 
munity organization  or  give  community  service.  Too  many  com- 
munity efforts  have  been  started  but  have  died  early  deaths  because 
no  one  was  on  the  job  to  carry  the  program  through  to  completion. 
The  need  for  the  .highest  type  of  leadership  is  great  in  community 
organization.  The  qualities  for  success  are  numerous.  Such  a  man 
or  woman  is  not  the  community  leader  but  the  community  servant, 
who  should  be  on  the  job  continually  suggesting,  helping  and  serving. 
Such  a  man  would  be  a  civic  bishop  or  a  spiritual  mayor.  He  is  the 
man  who  would  put  unity  into  community.  The  work  is  not  to  be  done 
by  a  paid  force  or  by  a  community  organizer,  which  is  a  poor  title,  but 
by  the  community  itself.  , Leadership  is  a  misnomer.  It  means  work- 
ing with  rather  than  for  a  community. 

Community  organization  is  simply  a  League  of  Folks.  The  spirit 
should  be  "get-togetherness,"  just  folks  coming  together  to  help  and 
understand  on|  another  and  meet  common  problems.  There  is  need  of 
this  coming  together- because  our  communities  will  face  in  the  next 
generation  big  problems  that  must  be  faced  by  all  as  a  unit.  The 
backwash  of  the  war  is  yet  to  come  and  must  be  largely  faced  by 


56 

the  communities.  The  community  is  to  be  tested  in  the  future.  The 
community  is  the  unit  that  must  meet  the  coming  situations  caused  by 
the  war.  The  home  and  the  neighborhood  may  meet  personal  social 
interests  but  the  community  must  meet  the  common  interest  of  all. 
It  Is  in  the  community  that  the  individual  expresses  his  citizenship, 
his  occupational  and  his  patriotic  relationships. 

Practically  every  organization  in  a  community  next  to  a  camp 
was  interested  im  soldiers  and  was  ready  to  serve  them,  so  there  was 
need  for  a  clearing  house  by  which  every  individual  and  organiza- 
tion could  efficiently  express  its  hospitality  and  good  will.  So  the 
city  government  and  the  different  civic  groups  and  volunteers  were 
brought  together  through  executive  boards  and  community  councils 
with  representative  key  men  ard  women  who  made  it  possible  for 
the  whole  community  to  function  as  a  unit.  Hence  an  inclusive 
community  program  was  fostered.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
churches,  the  schools,  the  labor  unions,  women's  clubs,  the  libraries 
and  all  other  organizations  were  asked  to  take  a  part  in  the  program 
that  they  could  best  do.  Then  the  group  did  those  things  that  conn 
cerned  all,  such  as  community  sings,  community  information,  com- 
munity girls'  work,  community  hospitality,  community  pageants,  com- 
munity parades,  etc.  In  this  way  friction,  overlapping  and  duplica- 
tion was  avoided.  Good  will  and  team  work  were  engendered.  It  was 
found  that  after  each  organization  did  its  part  well  there  was 
still  common  ground  on  which  they  could  all  meet,  in  which  they 
were  all  interested  and  in  which  they  all  must  pool  their  common 
interests. 

War  camp  community  service  has  demonstrated  that  there  is  no 
panacea  for  community  organization.  Each  community  must  develop 
its  owm  form  of  organization  and  service.  There  is  no  single  agency 
that  can  settle  all  of  the  community  problems.  The  bringing  together 
of  all  groups  and  interests  mentioned  at  a  round  table,  with  good 
will,  a  common  program,  a  recognition  of  each  one's  part  in  the 
program,  a  mutual  respect  and  understanding  is  the  beginning  for 
real  community  organization.  It  recognizes  the  principle  that  no  one 
of  the  existing  civic  organizations  in  a  community  can  handle  the 
whole  program,  but  am  agency  representing  all  as  a  clearing  house 
can  at  least  be  the  start  toward  common  effort. 

A  community  is  a  blend,  a  mixture  of  many  motives  and  interests. 
These  motives  and  interests  must  be  utilized  to  a  common  purpose 
and  merge  into  a  common  program.  Real  community  organization 
will  bring  about  a  proper  blending  of  all  these  motives,  associations 
and  interests  described  in  this  paper,  that  will  give  the  true  blend  of 
community  good  will.  Community  organization  is  largely  a  matter  of 
the  spirit;  it  is  psychological — ^an  attitude  of  mind.  It  recognizes  the 
fact  that  a  city  is  not  a  place  of  streets,  buildings  and  factories,  but 
rather  a  place  of  people — of  folks.     Take  the  folks  away  and  let  the 


57 

streets,  buildings  and  factories  remain  and  you  will  have  no  city.  So 
community  organization  must  be  based  on  the  fact  that  a  community 
ii  a  place  to  live  in  as  well  as  to  work  in. 

Community  organization  of  whatever  type  must  be  a  democratic 
effort  by  which  all  the  people  may  get  together  to  express  themselves 
for  their  mutual  benefit.  It  must  be  the  means  by  which  the  pooling 
cf  personal  and  civic  interests  into  a  common  whole  is  possible.  It 
means  team  work.  It  is  a  means,  not  an  end;  a  means  by  which  the 
community  may  find  itself  and  express  its  personality.  Communities 
have  souls — community  organizationi  is  a  way  to  save  the  souls  of  com- 
munities. 

The  three  big  obstacles  to  successful  community  organizations  are 
the  three  old  enemies:  (1)  the  old  "laissez  faire,"  conservative, 
reactionary  doctrine;  (2)  the  modern  bolsheviki,  who  pleads  for  de- 
mocracy that  would  mean  anarchy.  There  is  great  danger  in  this 
second  because  in  pleading  for  democracy  they  do  not  recognize  the 
need  for  leadership;  (3)  the  third  obstacle  is  that  the  personal  pro- 
noun "I" — egotism  and  personal  jealousies — does  much  to  prevent  the 
successful  fruition  of  a  community  program.  In  brief,  conservatism, 
faddism  and  selfishness  can  do  much  to  defeat  community  organiza- 
tion.  Service,  good  will,  and  sacrifice  are  the  three  winning  graces. 

Community  organization  to  be  successful  must  be  democratic — 
of,  for  and  by  the  people.  It  must  be  an  agency,  not  an  institution. 
It  must  have  a  program  of  service.  It  must  have  a  public  servant 
who  will  carry  such  a  program  of  service  to  successful  com- 
pletion. There  is  need  of  such  a  community  organization  to  meet 
the  common  problems  of  readjustment.  As  Governor  Manning,  of 
South  Carolina,  says:  "Unless  we  as  a  people  are  able  to  consecrate 
our  best  efforts,  ouy  unselfish  endeavors,  our  moral,  spiritual  and  ma- 
terial forces  to  the  ways  and  purposes  of  peace,  as  we  have  dedicated 
these  to  the  winning  of  the  war,  we  shall  fail  to  hold  much  for  which 
v;e  have  fought." 

The  great  difficulty  to  properly  discuss  this  topic  is  one  of 
terminology.  Words  confuse  as  well  as  they  clear  thoughts.  There 
i;  much  in  this  brief  article  that  ought  to  have  been  modified, 
abridged  or  amplified,  but  time  and  space  prevented. 

The  call  for  community  organization  and  service  is  heard  every- 
where. It  must  be  answered  soon  and  concretely.  There  is  no 
"cure-all."  There  is  no  universal  community  organization  recipe 
that  will  apply  to  every  community.  However,  Wai  Camp  Community 
Service  has  been  an  agency  that  has  gone  into  five  hundred  communi- 
ties and  has  developed  a  community  program,  a  community  purpose 
and  a  community  esprit  du  corps.  It  has  been  a  means  by  which 
communities  have  expressed  their  hospitality,  good  will,  and  soul. 
With  the  Christian  doctrine  of  service  and  the  democratic  principle 


"of.  for  and  by  the  people,"  War  Camp  Community  Service  has 
achieved  community  organization.  This  ageneyipoinjts  the  way  to  the 
future  pooling  of  interests.  In  peace  as  well  as  in  war,  community 
service  helps  to  make  the  world  safe  for  democracy. 


Address  by  Dr.  Henry  E.  Jackson,  United  States  Bureau  of 
Education. 

-'   Subject:  "The  Practice  of  Citizenship." 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

To  achieve  "freedom's  citizenship;"  to  restore  and  preserve  gov- 
ernment "of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the  people;"  to  de- 
velop small  communities  into  little  democracies  with-  school  houses 
for  their  capitols;  to  organize  comm.unities  on *'the' basis  of  citizenship 
alone;  to  put  human  rights  above  property  rightst  as  aur  boys  in  the 
trenches  of  France  did;  to  apply  ethical  stan^dards  to  politics  and 
economics;  to  enlarge  the  average  man's  .opportunities  and  his 
capacity  to  appreciate  them;  to  make  social,  political  and  economic 
conditions  to  be  of  such  a  sort  that  all  citizens,-  both  native  and 
foreign  born,  when  speaking  of  the  United  States^  may  say  "my 
country"  and  mean  what  they  say;  that  they  may  say  it  not  only  with 
honesty  but  with  such  a  degree  of  enthusiasm  as  to  be  willing  to 
put  the  interests  of  "my  country"  above  the  interests  of  "myself" 
— nothing  less  than  this,  as  I  understand  it,  is  the  ultimate  purpose  of 
the  community  center  movement.  It  is  a  movement  in  constructive 
democracy. 

■  The  war  has  'clothed  this  movement  with  a  fresh  interest  and  a 
new  significance.  The  fundamental  challenge  which  the  war  has 
made  to  all  thoughtful  people  is  the  need  of  organizing  human  life  on 
juster  and  saner  lines  in  the  construction  ol  a  better  sort  of  world. 
The  German  Reformation  gave  us  a  start  tov/ards  religious  freedom; 
the  French  Revolution  gave  us  a  start  towards  political  freedom;  the 
present  worJd  tragedy  is  giving  us  a  still  bigger  start  towards  eco- 
nomic freedom.  In  our  attempt  to  meet  the  opportunity  with  which 
the  war's  challenge  confronts  us,  we  have  already  discovered  that  no 
superficial  remedy  will  answer  because  the  disease  lies  too  deep.  We 
ha-ve  discovered  the  futility  of  attempting  to  purify  the  water  in  a 
well  by  painting  the*  pump.     We  must  go  deeper  for  our  remedy. 

It  is  my  purpose  to  give  a  bird's-eye  view  of  same  of  the  com- 
munity' us'es  of  the  school  house,  as  means  for  achieving  democracy's 
aims.  For  this  instrument  ready  made  to  our  hand  is  most  available 
for  the  practice  of  citizenship.  Like  all  great  discoveries  the  com« 
munity  use  of  the  school  house  grew  out  of  a  conscious  and  profound 
need.   Rauschenbusch  calls  the  appropriation  of  the  school  house  for 


59 

more  varied  purposes  a  master  stroke  of  the  new  democracy.  It  is 
the  onlj^  democratic  institution  existing  in  America,  non-sectarian, 
non-partisan,  and  nori-exclusive.  It  furnishes  the  only  platform  on 
which  all  the  people  can  meet.  It  is  our  foremost  industry  from 
whatever  standpoint  it  is  regarded,  Avith  its  22,000,000  girls  and  boys, 
600,000  school  teachers,  277,000  school  buildings,  $1,347,000,000.00  in- 
vested in  property  and  $75,000,000.00  annually  spent  for  its  support, 
it  is  the  most  American  institution,  the  greatest 'American  invention, 
and  the  most  successful  social  enterprise  yet  undertaken  by  any 
nation.  ,  Nevertheless,  its -golden  age  lies  before  it,  not  behind  it. 
It  is  noV  entering  upon  a  new  era  in  its  already  notable  history,  an 
era  which  will  witness  its  vastly  increased  usefulness  to  our  experi- 
ment in  democracy',  an  experiment  which  depends  for  its  success  more 
on  the  free  public  school  than  upon  any  other  single  factor. 

In  attempting  to  state  in  brief  a  subject  so  big,  one  must  needs 
have  what' the  poet  Keats  calls  "negative  capabilities."  He  must  know 
what  to  leave  in  the  ink  stand,  what  to  leave  unsaid.  A  bird's-eye 
view  of  the  facts  may  be  had  if  we  group  them  under  the  use  of  the 
school  house  as  a  community  capitol,  a  community  forum,  and  a 
neighborhood  'club. 

A   COMMUNITY   CAPITOL. 

The  school  house  as  the  community  capitol  obviously  means  that 
it  sh'all  be  used  as  the  polling  place.  It  ought  to  be  so  used  for  eoo- 
ndmic' reasons  alone.  Why  should  we  rent  special  buildings,  when  we 
already  own  school  houses  -conveniently  located  in  every  district? 
li^votipg  precincts  so  far  a's' possible  were  made  identical  with  school 
districts';'  if  the  School 'houses  were  used  as  polling  places-;  if  the 
el^ectiOy  machinery  were  simplified  and  if  school  teachers  were  em- 
ployed as  election  •officers,  because  they  have  the  required  intelligence 
and  are  already  public  officials,  every  state  in  the  union  Would  save 
many  thousands  of  dollars  annually.  But  we  ought  to  use  the  school 
house  as  the  polling  place, _  not  only  -for  economic  reasons,  which  is  of 
the  least  importance,  but  especially  for  the  sake  of  the  ideal  which 
the  ballot  box  represents.  It  is  the  symbol  of  our  membership  in 
America.  'It, is  a  sacred 'symbol.  During  the  last  campaign  candi- 
date Hughes  voted  in  a  laundry  in  New  York  City,  and  President  Wil- 
son voted  in  a  fire  house  in  Princeton.  Barber  shops,  livery  stg^bles, 
any  old  place  is  regarded  good  enough  for  voting  purposes.  Is  such 
a  place*  a  fitting  place  in  which  to  exercise  the  highest  duty  and 
function  of  American  citizenship?  The  ballot  box  is  our  Ark  df  the 
Covenant  and  just  as  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  whioh  was  the  sym- 
bol of  the  Hebrew  Republic,  was  given  a  place  in  the  Holy  of  the 
Holies  in  the  national  teuiple,.  so  our  -ballot  ought  to  be  given  a  place 
befitting  its  importance.  'The  one  fitting  place  for  it  is  the  public 
school,  which  is  the  temple  of  democracy. 


60 

The  ballot  box  and  voting  booth  ought  to  be  made  decorative  and 
kept  permanently  in  the  school  house,  because  of  the  permanent  ideal 
which  they  embody.  It  would  be  kept  to  make  vivid  the  function  of 
the  school.  "The  walls  of  Sparta  are  built  of  Spartans,"  sang  an 
old  poet.  The  walls  of  America  are  built  of  Americans  and  the  public 
school  is  the  factory  in  which  they  are  produced.  The  public  school's 
function  is  to  make  not  merely  good  men  and  women  but  good  citizens 
for  the  republic.  The  great  need  of  our  American  democracy  is  that 
In  every  school  district  the  public  school  shall  be  developed  into  a 
worthy  university  of  the  people,  which  shall  confer  citizenship  as  a 
degree  upon  those  who  in  this  school  shall  have  made  themselves  fit 
to  receive  it.  As  soon  as  we  put  this  fact  in  the  foreground,  we  set 
in  operation  a  formative  principle  whose  effect  on  the  school  will  be 
reforming  and  vitalizing.  Because  we  shall  be  compelled  to  ask  the 
further  question,  what  kind  of  studies  ought  the  curriculum  to  con- 
tain; what  kind  of  studies  are  most  worth  while  in  the  process  of 
making  citizens.  The  three  unsettled  questions  which  the  schools  are 
always  debating  are  the  content  of  the  curriculum,  the  method  of 
teaching  and  business  management.  The  new  question  concerning 
the  use  of  the  school  house  as  the  community  capitol  will  shed  more 
illumination  on  these  three  problems  than  anything  else  has  yet  done. 
It  will  insure  a  wise  solution  of  them.  It  will  wed  the  processes  of 
the  school  to  patriotism  and  to  practical  human  needs.  It  will  save 
the  school  from  the  blight  of  professionalism  which  is  the  most 
deadly  enemy.  This  fact  can  best  be  stated  in  brief  by  employing  an 
illustration. 

It  has  ever  offered  much  interesting  speculation  and  much  amuse- 
ment to  ask  and  discuss  the  question  what  would  modern  educational 
experts  have  made  of  Lincoln,  if,  as  a  baby,  be  had  been  put  in  their 
care.  "They  would  have  started  him  on  sterilized  milk,  clothed  him 
in  disinfected  garments,  sent  him  to  kindergarten,  where  he  would 
have  learned  to  weave  straw  mats  and  sing  the  'Blue  Bird  and 
the  Branch.'  Then  the  dentist  would  have  straightened  his  teeth, 
the  oculist  would  have  fitted  him  with  glasses,  and  in  the  primary 
grades  he  would  have  been  taught  by  pictures  and  diagrams  the  dif- 
ference between  a  cow  and  a  pig,  and,  thru  nature  study  he  would 
have  learned  that  the  catbird  did  not  lay  kittens.  By  the  time  he  wa& 
eight  he  would  have  become  a  'young  gentleman,'  at  ten  he  would  have 
known  more  than  the  old  folks  at  home;  at  twelve  or  fourteen  he 
would  have  taken  up  manual  training,  and  within  two  years  have 
made  a  rolling  pin  and  tied  it  with  a  blue  ribbon.  la  the  high 
school  at  sixteen,  he  would  have  learned  in  four  years  that  Mars  was 
the  reputed  son  of  Juno,  and  to  recite  a  stanza  from  "The  Lady  of 
the  Lake.'  Then  to  college,  where  he  would  have  joined  the  Glee 
Club  and  a  Greek  letter  fraternity,  smoked  cigarettes  and  graduated, 
and  never  have  done  anybody  any  harm.     Well,  perhaps,  we  don't 


61 

know  and  can't  tell  what  might  have  been,  but  we  can't  help  feeling 
thankful  that  Lincoln's  training  and  education  were  left  to  Nancy- 
Hanks — and  God." 

To  give  the  ballot  box  an:  honored  place  in  the  school  as  the 
symbol  of  its  chief  function,  to  v/ed  the  school  to  patriotism,  will 
keep  its  processes  sane,  and  in  turn  will  help  to  purify  politics.  Our 
purpose  is  not  to  bring  politics  into  the  schools,  but  to  bring  the 
schools  into  politics,  and  givo  to  them  the  commanding  influence  in 
pjublic  affairs  they  were  designed  to  exercise. 

A    COMMUNITY    FORUM. 

The  use  of  the  school  house  as  a  forum  is  the  next  logical  step 
to  take  after  it  has  been  made  the  community  capitol.  In  every 
state  constitution  provision  has  been  made  for  a  capitol  building,  in 
which  the  representatives  of  the  people  can  meet  to  debate  public 
questions  and  to  vote  on  public  policies,  but  the  only  place  they 
provide,  in  which  the  people  themselves  may  meet,  is  "in  a  peaceable 
manner."  The  humor  of  this  omission  would  be  refreshing  if  it  were 
not  so  serious.  "A  popular  government  without  popular  information 
or  the  means  of  acquiring  it,"  said  Madison,  "is  but  a  prologue  to  a 
farce  or  a  tragedy,  or  perhaps  both.  Knowledge  will  forever  govern 
ignorance;  and  a  people  who  mean  to  be  their  own  governors  must 
arm  themselves  with  the  power  which  knowledge  gives."  We  have 
adopted  universal  manhood  suffrage  in  America.  This  may  have  been 
a  blunder  or  it  may  not.  At  any  rate  it  is  a  fact  and  nothing  is  so 
convincing  as  a  fact.  Inasmuch  as  there  has  been  placed  in  the  hands 
ot  every  average  man,  and  many  average  women,  the  ballot  through 
which  public  policies  are  determined  and  public  officials  elected,  it 
is  of  primary  importance  that  a  means  be  provided  for  the  discussion 
of  public  questions  so  that  they  may  educate  themselves  by  going  to 
school  to  one  another  and  equip  themselves  to  vote  intelligently. 
"For  no  man  has  a  right  to  take  part  in  governing  others  who  has 
not  the  intelligence  or  moral  capacity  to  govern  himself."  This  is 
the  practical  and  philosophical  ground  on  which  the  necessity  for 
a  community  forum  rests.  It  is  an  open  meeting  conducted  by  citizens 
themselves  for  the  discussion  of  social,  political,  economic  or  any  other 
questions,  which  concern  the  common  welfare. 

"There  are  two  ways  to  govern  a  community,"  said  Lord  Macaulay, 
in  the  British  Parliament.  "One  is  by  the  sword;  the  other  is  by 
public  opinion."  Ours  is  a  government  by  public  opinion.  It  is 
obvious  that  the  welfare  of  a  democracy  requires  that  public  opinion 
be  informed  and  educated.  The  greatest  danger  to  a  democracy 
is  that  the  forces  which  control  public  opinion  should  be  corrupted  at 
their  source.  The  pulpit  and  press  are  moulders  of  public  opinion 
but  they  are  no  longer  dependable.  We  must  establish  public  free 
forums  undominated  by  private  interests.     If  it  is  right  for  the  state 


62 

to  spend  money  to  provide  polling  places,  it  is  just  as  riglit  and  even 
more  necessary  for  the  state  to  spend  money  for  forums  in  which 
citizens  may  fit  themselves  to  vote  intelligently.  In  his  remarkable 
book,  "Physics  and  Politics,"  Walter  Bagehot  devotes  a  chapter  to 
"Gbvernment  by  Discussion,"  in  which  he  convincingly  demonstrates 
its  essential  value  to  all  free  governments. 

This  being  the  nature  and  purpose  of  the  forum,  it  follows  that 
it«  basic  principle  must  be  freedom  of  thought  and  freedom  in  its  ex- 
pression. The  forum  is  organized  on  the  basis  of  difference,  not  agree-' 
ment.  It  aims  not  at  uniformity  but  at  unity.  It  is  not  only  a  stupid 
world,  where  all  think  alike,  but  there  can  be  little  or  no  progress  if  we 
listen  only  to  those  with  whom  we  agree.  It  is  significant  that  our  word 
misunderstanding  has  become  a  synonym  for  quarrels,  whereas  most 
of  our  quarrels  would  be  found  to  involve  not  a  fundamental  difference 
but  just  a  failure  to  understand  each  other. 

Inasmuch  as  men,  who  do  not  agree  with  each  other,  have  to  work 
with. each  other  in  life's  activities,  it  is  obviously  important  that  they 
should  try  to  understand  each  other.  The  Christian  ought  to  under- 
stand the  agnostic  and  the  agnostic  the  Christian;  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic the  Protestant,  and  the  Protestant  the  Roman  Catholic;  the  Demo- 
crat the  Republican,  and  the  Republican  the  Dem.ocrat;  the  capi- 
talist the  laborer,  and  the  laborer  the  capitalist.  These  classes  usually 
associate  only  with  members  of  their  own  class,  and  read  only  their 
sectarian  or  partisan  newspapers.  They  are  provincially-minded. 
We  are,  of  course,  under  no  obligation  to  agree  with  each  other,  but 
as  members  of  America  it  is  our  moral  and  patriotic  duty  to  under- 
stand each  other.  For  there  is  no  hope  of  peace  and  cooperatibiTin  a 
democracy  unless  men  have  the  right  to  think  for  themselves,  unless 
they  agree  to  disagree  agreeably,  and  unless  they  try  to  understand 
each  other. 

The  forum  furnishes  the  means  for  mutual  understanding.  It  aims 
to  create  public-mindedness.  Its  success  depends  on  our  ability  to 
differ  in  opinion  without  differing  in  feeling.  There  is  no  way  of 
acquiring  this  habit  except  through  practice.  The  forum  invites  us 
to  have  the  courage  to  be  honest,  the  courtesy  to  be  gentlemen  and 
to  say  to  our  neighbors,  just  because  they  are  our  neighbors,  what 
Paul  said  to  the  Christians  of  the  first  century:  "Therefore  putting 
aside  lying  let  us  speak  truth  every  man  with  his  neighbor,  for  we 
are  members  one  of  another." 

Undoubtedly,  where  freedom  of  speech  is  permitted,  there  is  con- 
stant danger  that  erroneous  opinions  will  be  expressed.  It  is  one  o^ 
the  risks  which  the  exercise  of  liberty  necessarily  involves.  But  then 
It  is  more  dangerous  for  them  not  to  find  expression.  Exposure  to 
fresh  air  is  the  best  cure  for  mental  as  well  as  physical  diseases. 
Thus  freedom  furnishes  its  own  antidote  to  this  danger.  Jefferson  well 
stated  it  when  he  said:  "Error  of  opinion  may  be  tolerated  wlien  rea- 


son  is  free  (o  coinljat  it."  It  is  highly  important  to  understand  .that 
the  right  to  preach  truth  is  in  danger  whenever  the  right  to  preach 
error  is  denied.  It  ought  to  be  obvious  that  the  right  of  free  speech 
cannot  be  maintained  and  indeed  doss  not  exist  unless  we  agree  to 
grant  complete  freedom  of  speech  without  any  censorship  w.hateyer 
and  place  our  dependence  on  the  operation  of  Jefferson's  princip^I'e  a-s 
the  civilized  method  of  overcoming  error.  The  truth  needs  no*  apol- 
ogist and  no  defender;  it  needs  only  a  free  field  and  no  favors.  The 
man  who  rejects  Jefferson's  principle  is  a  skeptic  and  an  athrSfet. 
He  manifestly  does  not  believe  in  the  power  of  the  very  truth  he 
seeks  to  defend  by  force;  he  has  no  confidence  in  the  God  of  .Tnu'th. 
It  may  frequently  happen  that  the  free  discussion  of  vital'  ques- 
tions will  lead  to  disturbance.  In  an  open  forum,  held  on  a  ce^rtain 
Sunday  many  centuries  ago  in  the  village  of  Nazareth,  where  laymen 
were  permitted  to  speak,  a  young  carpenter  made  some  remarks  on 
social  and  economic  justice.  The  speech  caused  a  disturbance;  indeed 
the  meeting  became  a  mob  and  this  workingman  almost  lost  his, life. 
But  there  is  no  man  who  is  acquainted  with  history  and  certainly 
no  Christian,  who  regrets  that  the  synagogue  was  organized  as  a  forum 
and  that  this  particular  speech  was  made  on  this  particular  occasion. 
For  the  speaker's  name  Vv^as  Jesus  and  the  speech  was  his  inaugural 
address  in  a  public  career  more  helpful  to  the  world  than  that  of  any 
other  man.  If  there  are  any  who  do  not  wish  disturbance  there  is 
only  one  place,  so  far  as  I  know,  where  they  can  be  assured  of  quief^. 
It  is  the  graveyard.  Wherever  there  is  life  there  is  growth,  and 
growth  means  disturbance,  especially  if  it  is  growth  towards  de'mox;- 
racy  and  tov/ards  a  saner  aud  juster  Social  order. 

A   NEIGHBORHOOD  CLUB. 

When  the  people  have  learned  through  the  use  of  the  school  house 
as  a  polling  place  and  as  a  forum,  that  it  belongs  to  them  and  not 
the  school  board,  they  are  then  prepared  to  inaugurate  its  use  as  a 
neighborhood  club.  It  cannot  be  too  carefully  noted  that  the  com- 
munity center  is  not  charity  work  nor  an  uplift  movement  nor  a  social 
settlement.  It  is  organized  self-help.  It  is  not  a  patronizing  effort  to 
give  people  what  you  think  they  need.  Nor  is  it  the  cowardly  attempt 
tc  give  people  Vv'hat  they  want.  It  is  the  neighborly  desire  to  assist 
people  to  choose  what  they  ought  to  want.  Democracy  is  the  organiza- 
tion  of  society  on  the  basis  of  friendship  and  this  is  the  key  to -the 
community  center  ideal. 

When  the  community  use  of  the  schoolhouse  has  been  organized 
democratically  then  we  are  prepared  to  undertake  all  sorts  of  activ- 
ities. Some  of  these  activities  may  be  described  as  social,  such  as 
community  dinners,  musical  festivals,  folk  singing,  especially  sing- 
ing, which  is  the  most  democratic  and  most  spirited  of  all  the  arts. 


64 

The  object  of  these  activities  is  to  promote  a  better  acquaintance 
and  the  spirit  of  good  will.  A  friend  said  to  Charles  Lamb,  "Come 
here,  I  want  to  introduce  you  to  Mr.  A."  Lamb  replied,  with  his  char- 
acteristic stammer:  "No,  thank  you,"  "Why  not?"  "I  don't  like  him." 
"Don't  like  him?  But  you  don't  know  him."  "That's  the  reason  why  I 
don't  like  him."  The  community  center  operates  on  the  conviction 
that  antagonisms  among  men  are  destroyed  by  better  acquaintance. 

Some  of  its  activities  may  be  described  as  recreational,  such  as 
dances,  games,  motion  pictures,  community  dramas,  especially  the 
drama,  which  is  "the  ritual  of  the  religion  of  democracy."  The  object 
of  these  activities  is  to  meet  the  need  for  fair  play  and  the  hunger  for 
joy,  a  need  every  day  more  keenly  felt  under  the  monotonous  grind  of 
our  machine  age.  Aside  from  the  necessary  relief  which  play  brings 
it3  moral  and  educational  value  is  as  great  as  that  of  work,  and  some- 
times greater.  The  community  center  proceds  on  the  assumption  that 
the  playground  is  as  important  as  the  school  room,  that  play  is 
re-creation  as  well  as  recreation,  that  it  is  needed  by  all  alike  and 
that  the  leisure  problem  is  as  urgent  as  the  labor  problem. 

Some  of  these  activities  may  be  described  as  educational,  such 
as  courses  of  lectures  on  scientific  and  literary  subjects,  the  Ameri- 
canization of  immigrants,  a  branch  library,  a  savings  bank.  The  ob- 
ject of  these  activities  is  mutual  aid  in  self-development  which  is 
one  of  President  Wilson's  definitions  of  democracy.  The  com,- 
munity  center  is  guided  by  the  principle  that  education  is  a  life  pro- 
cess, that  it  can  be  secured  only  through  self-activity  and  that  it  ought 
to  be  acquired  not  apart  from  but  thru  one's  daily  vocation.  When 
the  people  of  any  community  perceive  the  formative  principle  that  the 
school  house  belongs  to  them  and  that  education  is  not  limited  to 
book  learning,  then  the  way  is  at  once  opened  to  the  community  use 
of  the  school  house  for  every  kind  of  cooperative  enterprise  designed 
to  meet  human  needs,  provided  it  is  never  for  profit  but  for  the  com- 
mon welfare.  It  is  my  conviction  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
the  schools  everywhere  will  be  used  not  only  to  inspire  cooperation 
in  buying  and  selling  the  necessities  of  life,  but  also  to  direct  and 
operate  such  enterprises,  just  as  the  public  schools  are  now  being  used 
in  Alaska,  under  the  guidance  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Edu- 
cation, with  patriotic  and  economic  results  which  are  highly  gratify- 
ing. The  use  of  the  school  house  as  a  polling  place,  a  community 
forum,  and  a  neighborhood  club,  are  the  three  chief  activities  which 
this  movement  aims  to  promote.  I  have  stated  them  in  their  logical 
order,  but  this  may  not  always  be  the  chronological  order.  In  our 
world  human  processes  do  not  move  along  logical  lines,  but  along 
lines  of  least  resistance.  Therefore  community  center  work  frequently 
begins  with  some  simple  social  activity,  and  from  this  evolves  into 
liirger  activities.  To  learn  to  play  together  is  sometimes  a  wise  prep- 
aration for  more  constructive  forms  of  cooperation. 


65 

The  creation  of  communitj^  centers  for  the  practice  of  freje- 
men's  citizenship  is  today  our  most  urgent  national  need.  Everywhere 
men  and  women  are  divided  into  classes  according  to  their  personal 
tastes  or  self-interest.  There  are  social  clubs,  sectarian  divisions, 
partisan  groups.  There  are  Women's  clubs,  labor  unions,  capitalistic 
federations.  There  are  racial  antagonisms,  class  hatreds,  deep  social 
cleavages  and  misunderstandings,  dissimilarities  of  mind  and  purpose. 
I>,  is  this  condition,  this  lack  of  public-mindedness,  this  lack  of  social 
sympathy  and  mutual  understanding,  which  we  have  come  to  regard 
as  a  serious  menace  to  our  experiment  in  democracy  and  which  will 
guarantee  its  failure  if  unchecked.  Our  present  urgent  task  is  to  dis- 
cover some  means  of  welding  America  into  a  community.  For,  as 
Prof.  Giddings  says,  "The  primary  purpose  of  the  state  is  to  perfect 
social  integration."  Social  integration  can  be  achieved  not  by  phys- 
ical but  by  spiritual  means,  for  a  nation  is  the  will  to  be  one  people. 
"The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  within  you."  So  in  the  American  Re- 
public. A  nation  is  a  state  of  mind.  How  shall  this  welding  process 
be  effected? 

That  man  has  gone  far  towards  finding  a  good  answer  to  this  ques- 
tion who  discovers  the  true  'function  which  the  public  school  is  de- 
signed and  equipped  to  perform  in  the  unification  and  development  of 
community  life;  when  he  discovers  that  it  is  the  appropriate  place 
for  the  untrammelled  exercise  of  the  sacred  right  of  manhood  suf- 
frage in  a  republic;  that  it  furnishes  th9  ideal  platform  for  a  com- 
munity forum,  where  citizens  may  go  to  school  to  one  another  and 
freely  discuss  all  social  and  economic  questions  in  order  to  fit  them- 
selves for  the  practice  of  citizenship;  that  it  is  the  logical  center, 
and  clearing  house  for  all  enterprises,  which  concern  the  common 
v/elfare,  promoting  organized  cooperation  and  preventing  needless 
waste  of  time  and  money  thru  burdensome  overhead  charges  and  dup- 
lication of  social  activities;  when  one  discovers  these  community  uses 
of  the  school  house,  he  has  made  a  discovery  of  incalculable  value  to 
the  progress  of  American  ideals. 


Address  by  Professor  R.  V.  Grdeu,  Western  Normal  School, 
Bowling  Green,  Ky. 

Subject:  ''Elimination  of  Illiteracy  by  Community  Effort." 
The  war  for  freedom  and  democracy  has  been  won.  Liberty  and 
humanity  have  been  saved  from  tyranny  and  brutality.  The  valor  of 
American  manhood  bled  and  died  at  Chateau  Thierry,  St.  Mihiel  and 
Argonne  for  the  preservation  of  the  principle  of  self-government  and 
for   the   ideals   of  America.     The   crusaders   for   liberty   have   set   in 


66 

motion  waves  of  influence  which  will  be  felt  on  the  shores  of  eter- 
nity. This  great  achievement  has  been  wroiight  with  undimmed  glory 
for  American  arms  and  for  the  perpetuity  of  American  institutions. 

Another  task  of  vital  importance  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity 
is  to  safeguard  and  vouchsafe  these  treasures  of  representative  gov- 
ernment  to  the  new  world  of  peace.  All  the  issues  of  the  future  depend 
upon  the  accomplishment  of  this  paramount  task.  All  of  our  energies, 
all  our  prayers,  all  our  lives  must  be  sacrificed  upon  the  altar  of 
education. 

Without  permanent  loss  or  injury,  we  can  practice  economy  in 
food,  clothing  and  fuel;  we  may  deprive  ourselves  of  many  luxuries; 
v/e  may  refrain  from  unnecessary  travel;  we  may  postpone  business 
enterprises;  we  may  suspend  many  activities  not  essential  to  health 
and  happiness  of  the  nation,  but  the  support  of  our  schools  and  other 
agencies  of  education  cannot  be  withheld  without  the  peril  of 
permanent  loss  and  irreparable  injury. 

The  importance  of  maintaining  our  schools  at  their  highest  pos- 
sible efficiency  and  giving  every  one  the  best  possible  opportunity 
for  educational  development  has  been  made  apparent  to  all  who  ob- 
serve and  think.  The  welfare  of  our  country  and  individual  pros- 
perity depend  upon  high  standards  of  work  and  the  greatest  possible 
attendance.  The  level  of  intelligence,  skill  and  wisdom  for  the  work 
of  life  and  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  citizenship  rises  for 
each  age  of  increased  achievement.  The  period  of  reconstruction  after 
the  world  war  will  demand  more  and  better  trained  men  of  scientific 
knowledge,  technical  skill  and  general  culture.  The  world  must  be  re- 
built and  the  trained  people  of  the  United  States  will  play  an  im- 
portant role  in  the  agricultural,  manufacturing,  commercial  and  cul- 
tural activities,  for  the  trained  men  of  Europe  have  paid  the  last  full 
measure  of  devotion,  so  tlie  schools  of  America  will  have  to  furnish  the 
talent  for  industrial,  educational  and  commercial  rehabilitation  of  the 
old  world. 

Americanization  is  of  vital  importance  at  the  present  time.  Men 
and  women  who  seek  our  shores  for  opportunity,  liberty,  must  be 
given  an  opportunity  to  learn  the  English  language.  The  last  census 
showed  more  than  thirteen  million  foreign-born  people  and  more  than 
t!iirty-two  million  of  foreign  birth  or  parentage,  and  it  is  estimated 
that  fully  5,000,000  of  these  use  a  language  other  than  English.  We 
drafted  into  our  army  tens  of  thousands  of  men  who  could  not  under- 
stand a  word  of  command,  order,  or  make  a  memorandum.  The  first 
draft  brought  into  the  cantonments  40,000  whose  confused  tongues 
were  learning  to  speak  the  language  of  the  land  they  were  summoned 
to  defend.  During  those  trying  days  when  food  was  the  crying  need 
of  the  hour,  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  sent  out  many  bulletins 
uring  farmers  to  produce  more  wheat,  more  food,  and  told  them  how 
to  do  so;  there  were  two  and  a  half  million  of  American  farmers  who 


67 

could  not  read  a  word  and  nearly  twice  as  many  read  with  such  dif- 
ficulty as  the  bulletins  were  of  little  or  no  value. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  these  emigrants  know  nothing  of  our 
country  beyond  the  Palisades  of  the  Hudson.  Many  of  them  know- 
nothing  of  the  wheat  and  corn  fields  of  the  west  or  the  cotton  fields  of 
the  south.  They  know  nothing  of  our  mountains  and  valleys,  hills  and 
plains,  fields  and  forests,  rivers  and  waterfalls.  They  know  little  of 
our  history,  its  growth,  development  or  principles  of  government,  or 
of  the  ideals  of  our  national  life.   They  must  learn  to  know  its  spirit. 

"There  can  be  no  divided  allegiance  here.  Any  man  who  says 
he  is  an  American,  but  something  else  also,  isn't  an  American  at  all. 
We  have  room  but  for  one  flag,  the  American  flag.  We  have  room  for 
but  one  language  here  and  that  the  English  language,  and  we  have 
room  for  but  one  soul  loyalty  and  that  loyalty  to  the  American 
people." 

The  fact  is  appalling,  not  necessarily  disgraceful,  but  at  least  dis- 
creditable and  uncomfortable  to  a  great,  free,  liberty-loving  civilized 
nation,  that  5,516,162  persons  above  ten  years  of  age  in  the  United 
States  are  illiterate.  This  constitutes  7.7  per  cent  of  all  that  part  of 
our  population.  One-fourth  of  this  number  is  native  white  or  1,534,272. 
58  per  cent  of  all  are  white.  Worse  still  is  the  fact  that  2,273,604  of 
these  are  adult  males  of  voting  age;  enough  to  turn  the  scale  of  any 
national  election  ever  held.  It  does  seem  startling  that  the  balance  of 
power  is  in  the  hands  of  the  ignoi^nt  voter,  as  the  above  figures 
Indicate.  If  these  5,516,163  were  arranged  im  a  double  line  three  feet 
apart  and  marched  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  miles  per  day,  it  would 
take  two  months  for  them  to  pass  any  given  point.  Their  economic 
loss  to  the  country  at  fifty  cents  loss  per  day  per  person  amounts  to 
$825,000,000.00  annually. 

The  teacher  can  do  and  has  done  much  to  remove  this  stigma  from 
our  state's  fiag,  but  the  school  cannot  reach  very  readily  a  large  num- 
ber of  illiterates  without  the  intelligent  cooperation  of  the  general 
public.  The  work  of  that  energetic,  patriotic,  capable  superintendent 
of  Rowan  county,  now  head  of  our  Illiteracy  Commission,  who  has 
a  vision  of  the  future  state,  who  has  sympathy  for  benighted  human- 
ity and  who  loves  her  native  heath,  will  bring  joy  and  happiness  to 
many  a  timid  heart  of  our  people.  The  curtain  of  darkness  hangs 
over  many  of  them  like  a  pall.  The  eyes  of  these  unlettered  poor 
cannot  penetrate  the  mysteries  of  life  and  pardon  as  revealed  in  the 
gospels  unless  some  ministering  angel  in  the  form  of  a  public-spirited 
teacher  teach  them.  The  crusade  against  ignorance  in  any  form  is 
truly  righteous  and  holy.  It  means  moral,  material  and  intel- 
lectual improvement  to  the  communities  wherever  the  crusaders  with 
their  torches  of  intelligence  enter.  To  shed  light  into  dark  corners  and 
obscure  places  and  to  bring  hope  to  the  hearts  and  lives  of  humble 
homes   to   wliose   inmates   the   door  of  opportunity   has   been   closed 


68 

by  their  own  negligence  or  society  indifference  or  by  a  public  opin- 
ion in  state  of  lethargy,  is  the  patriotic  duty  of  every  good  citizen  who 
is  willing  to  emancipate  them  from  the  thraldom  of  illiteracy. 

It  has  been  the  tradition  of  our  people  that  the  schools  of  the 
country  are  the  training  stations  of  our  standing  army  of  peace; 
that  the  school  houses  are  the  fortifications  that  hold  back  the  in- 
vasion of  the  hosts  of  ignorance,  vice,  anarchy  and  economic  ineffi- 
ciency. In  an  organized  social  democracy,  education  is  as  important 
to  the  perpetuity  of  the  republic  as  food,  clothing  and  shelter  and 
should  claim  the  services  of  the  intelligent  public.  If  then  a  state 
fails  in  securing  right  training  for  its  citizens  by  its  regular  organized 
institutions,  other  methods  must  be  resorted  to,  or  popular  gov- 
ernment must  give  way  to  some  form  of  society,  and  economic  organ- 
ization  less  dependent  upon  intelligence,  skill,  virtue  and  good  wiU 
01  its  citizens. 

It  is  bad  to  have  illiterates  in>  a  country,  but  very  encouraging 
to  know  that  processes  and  forces  are  at  work  that  are  conspicuously 
ai)d  diligently  efficient  in  diminishing  those  positively  and  relatively 
at  an  accelerated  rate.  Our  record  for  reduction  is  probably  un- 
equalled in  the  world.  The  processes  and  forces  now  in  triumphant 
operation  will  soon  bring  a  glorious  consummation  to  pass,  for  this 
decline  is  co-extensive  with  the  improvement  and  multiplication  of  edu- 
cational opportunities,  such  as  moonlight  schools,  college  and  univer- 
sity extension  work,  trained  teachers,  high  schools,  consolidated 
schools  for  rural  communities  and  improvement  of  the  course  of  study 
and  compulsory  attendance  laws. 

The  effect  of  illiteracy  on  the  productive  industry  is  to  dwarf  the 
creative  capacity  and  blight  development  of  industry  requiring  skill 
and  intelligence.  The  creative  and  productive  power  of  a  people  is 
a  fundamental  educational  problem.  The  creation  of  values,  the  pro- 
duction of  wealth,  the  multiplication  of  human  wants  and  development 
of  the  means  to  satisfy  the  wants  are  questions  for  all  time.  The 
more  and  better  the  commodities  the  wealthier  the  people  or  nation. 
To  multiply  wealth  and  prepare  man  to  use  it  properly  for  himself  and 
his  fellows  are  essential  to  true  progress.  To  make  wealth  abundant 
and  to  make  it  minister  to  the  world's  needs,  means  that  we  make 
wealth  cheap  and  man  dear.  This  recognizes  man  with  intellect, 
skill  and  morality  as  the  chief  factor  in  the  creation  of  wealth.  The 
progress  of  civilization  is  measured  by  the  ever  growing  skill,  intel- 
lectual and  moral  equipment  of  race,  the  production  of  the  skill  that 
creates  new  wealth  and  conserves  the  already  accumulated  storehouse. 
These  conclusions  can  be  obtained  by  considering  the  figures.  The 
foundation  of  imperial  greatness  rests  upon  the  ability  of  the 
people  to  create  wealth  and  character.  Ignorance  invites  national 
decay  and  degeneracy  and  ruin.  Witness  Portugal  witli  80  per  cent  of 
its  people  illiterate,  Spain  with  75  per  cent,  Italy  83  per  cent,  Cuba 


69 

79  per  cent,  Russia  77  per  cent,  Brazil  80  per  cent,  and  Mexico  80 
per  cent.  As  each  country  expends  money  for  education,  it  removes 
the  illiteracy  and  increases  the  power  for  productive  wealth.  The 
ignorant  savage  stands  before  the  river  unable  to  follow  his  enemy, 
but  getting  some  knowledge,  he  makes  a  canoe  and  follows;  getting 
some  more  information,  he  cuts  a  forked  stick  for  plow  and  feeds  the 
tribe;  growing  wise  as  the  ox,  he  makes  him  carry  his  burden.  By 
knowledge  of  the  tiller  of  the  soil,  v/ild  rice  becomes  wheat;  the 
forked  stick  becomes  the  steam  gang  plow;  the  flail  becomes  the 
header;  the  raft  becomes  the  ocean  steamer;  the  prarie  schooner,  the 
twentieth  century  limited.  Ignorance  wastes  soils,  forests,  coal,  water 
power,  life;  wisdom  conserves  and  builds  up  the  soils,  preserves  the 
forests,  utilizes  coal  for  industrial  purposes  and  harnesses  the  falls 
for  illumination  and  prolongs  the  span  of  life  by  sanitation. 

Ignorance  is  both  death  and  sleep.  Wisdom  is  myriad  minded  and 
alive  for  manifold  acitivity.  Ignorance  wastes;  wisdom  conserves; 
ignorance  paralyzes;  knowledge  quickens;  ignorance  makes  poverty, 
wisdom  makes  riches;  ignorance  destroys;  wisdom  creates;  ignorance 
degenerates;  knowledge  produces  better  specimens;  knowledge  gives 
power,  but  frailty  is  the  gift  of  ignorance.  The  educated  mind  sees 
visions  of  forces  and  masters  them,  but  ignorance  is  blind  and  cannot 
see.  Wisdom  unfolds  the  powers  of  the  individual,  but  illiteracy 
swivels  them.  Training  develops  powers  and  reveals  opportunities. 
Lack  of  it  dwarfs  powers  and  shuts  the  door  to  hope. 

It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  the  greatest  factor  for  increasing  the 
Avealth  of  a  community  is  obviously  the  intellect,  and  the  largest 
waste  to  a  state  or  nation  is  ignorance.  The  heaviest  tax  is  the  tax 
of  ignorance.  Lack  of  development,  failure  to  develop  resources, 
wastes  in  industry,  erosion  of  soils,  wastes  in  the  forests,  exhaustion 
of  agricultural  resources,  are  through  ignorance.  Failure  is  lack  of 
knowledge.  Success  is  knowing  how.  Wealth  is  not  so  much  in 
things  of  iron,  wood,  stone  and  soil,  but  in  the  creative  power  of  the 
citizenship.  Wealth  is  in  knowing  how  to  smelt  the  iron,  to  carve 
the  wood,  to  chisel  the  stone,  to  till  the  soil.  Knowledge  opens  the 
tlinnel;  spans  the  gorge;  crosses  the  deep;  develops  industry. 
Ignorance  breaks  machinery  in  the  factory;  spoils  the  raw  material; 
burns  out  the  boilers;  lets  the  coal  lie  idle  under  his  feet  and  allows 
the  soil  of  untold  wealth  to  flow  to  the  sea.  It  leaves  the  plow  to,  rust 
in  the  fields  and  the  mowers  and  reapers  to  become  the  victims  of 
the  summer's  sun  and  winter's  snow. 

The  economic  wastes  of  illiteracy  can  be  felt  in  all  fields  of  in- 
dustry and  reflects  itself  profoundly  in  the  use  and  abuse  of  our 
natural  resources.  Intensive  farming  on  all  the  farms  of  Kentucky 
would  quadruple  the  farm  output  of  nearly  all  crops.  Our  illiterate 
population  developed  into  intelligent  skilled  citizenship  would  utilize 
our  wonderful   water  power  resources,   propel   the  machinery   of  in- 


70 

dustry  with  hydro-electric  power;  support  a  population  of  12,000,000. 
Kontucky'fl  coal  area  could  he  made  to  employ  a  vast  population  in 
the  manufacture  of  artlclea  of  high  grade  to  be  sent  to  other  parts 
of  thfl  nation  and  the  world  in  return  for  its  intelligence  In  the  form 
of  skilled  labor.  Kentucky's  coal  area  is  as  great  as  that  of  England, 
Germany  and  France  combined,  yet  England  alone  mines  350,000,000 
tons  annually,  while  Kentucky  digs  only  20,000,000.  Of  this  we  ship 
two-thirds  to  other  states  to  make  articles  which  are  shipped  back  to 
us  at  enormous  cost,  but  we  pay  the  bill.  All  of  this  could  occur  within 
the  area  of  our  state  if  the  thousands  of  unskilled  laborers  could  bo 
by  any  method  of  training  made  into  skilled  workmen.  Kentucky's 
skill  and  brains  could  in  this  way  multiply  enormously  the  wealth 
and  capital  of  the  bluegrass  state.  Tho  creative  power  of  the 
208,000  people  who  cannot  read  and  write,  estimated  on  the  basis 
of  what  other  people  have  done,  is  enormous.  The  economic  loss 
of  the  state  in  having  those  among  us  compared  with  what  they 
might  have  produced  is  beyond  comprehension,  it  has  been  estimated 
that  every  day  spent  in  school  when  tho  school  term  is  extended 
through  the  high  school  is  worth  in  increased  earning  power  over  the 
unskilled  labor  on  the  average  of  $10.00.  The  Bureau  of  Education 
estimates  that  the  average  school  term  of  the  average  individual 
amounts  to  5.27  years  of  two  hundred  days  each,  which  when  added 
to  the  high  school  amounts  to  about  ten  years  or  two  thousand  days 
of  school  work.  Assuming  that  the  individual  att"-nd  90  per  cent  oi* 
his  time  in  doing  the  work  in  the  common  schools,  he  will  attend 
school  olghteu  hundred  days.  Assuming  then  that  this  work  is  com- 
pleted by  the  age  of  twoniy  and  that  the  individual  would  live  to  be 
forty  years  old,  and  that  each  day's  vschooling  is  worth  $10.00,  wo  have 
iin  enormous  economic  loss  in  possible  productive  weal'Ji  of  $3,600,- 
000,000.00,  four  times  the  assessed  value  of  1 11  the  property  of  the 
state,  which  could  be  added  to  the  wealth  of  the  state  if  all  the  illit- 
erates could  be  transformed  into  highly  skilled  laborers  working  their 
maximum  capacity  for  twenty  years.  To  be  conservative,  if  we  could 
quadruple  the  educational  power  of  all  of  our  people,  including  those 
who  car, not  road  and  write,  we  could  multiply  ♦ho  wealth  of  the  state 
by  at  least  ten.  Then  if  we  are  to  develop  our  natural  resources, 
improve  our  soils,  make  our  waste  places  blossom  as  the  rose,  con- 
serve our  forests,  keep  our  soil  on  the  hillsides,  unfetter  the  souls 
that  are  now  in  the  bondage  of  illiteracy;  if  we  are  to  make  our 
homes  fit  places  from  a  sanitary  point  of  view  for  growing  of  man- 
hood and  wom^inhood,  and  if  we  are  to  make  two  blades  of  grass  grow 
where  one  formerly  grew,  nnd  two  graces  of  heart  where  none  grew 
before,  and  if  we  are  to  keep  alive  in  men's  minds  and  hearts  the 
ideals  of  truth,  honor  and  patriotism,  and  cultivate  patriotic,  intel- 
ligent citizenship  with  reason  and  love  of  justice;  if  we  are  to  pre- 
serve the  subtratum    of    all    democracy,;   the    individual,    we    must 


71 

educate  all. of  our  people,  must  eliminate  adult  illiteracy.  The  illiterate 
voter  must  go,  the  republic  cannot  endure  partly  educated  and  partly 
uiuHlucated. 


WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  5,  1919. 

Morning  Session. 

Hon.  Mat  S.  Cohen,  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  Labor  and 

Statistics  for  Kentucky,  Presiding. 

Synopsis  of  address  by  Miss  V.  Lota  Lorimer,  Director  of 

Red  Cross  Nursing,  Lake  Division. 

Subject:  '' Public  Health  Program  of  American  Red  Cross." 

HOME  DIETETICS. 
Each  Red  Cross  Chapter,  through  its  committee  on  educational 
activities,  should  actively  promote  the  formation  of  classes  in  home 
dietetics  both  among  Red  Cross  members  and  among  non-members 
in  its  community.  This  course  is  designed  to  teach  women  the  proper 
selection  and  nutritive  value  of  food  in  order  that  they  may  under- 
stand and  apply  the  underlying  principlea  of  dietetics  in  buying  and 
(booking,  and  in  serving  food  in  their  own  homes.  The  course  consists 
or  fifteen  lessons  of  not  less  than  two  hours  each' and  a  final  exam- 
iiiHtion.  A  necessary  requisite  to  appointment  as  an  instructor  for 
the  course  in  Home  Dietetics  is  that  the  candidate  be  an  enrolled  Red 
Cross  Dietetian.  Dietetians  are  enrolled  for  service  with  the  Red 
Cross  by  the  Department  of  Nursing  af  National  Headquarters. 
From  these  enrolled  dietitians  in«tructors  for  the  Home  Dietetics 
course  will  be  appointed.  Red  Cross  chapters  should  render  all 
assistance  possible  in  providing  adequate  class  rooms  and  in  supplying 
the  necessary  class  room  equipment,  in  order  to  insure  Instruction 
being  given  under  favorable  conditions  and  to  reduce  the  expense 
of  the  course  which  must  be  borne  by  the  members  of  the  class. 
These  classes  may  be  organized  by  Individuals,  schools,  clubs  or  other 
organizations.  It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  Red  Cross  to  conduct  its 
instruction  work  for  profit,  but  rather  to  disseminate  to  the  greatest 
extent  possible  the  information  and  knowledge  which  the  course  In 
Home  Dietetics  offers.  The  chapter  should  aim  to  carry  out  this 
policy  and  by  so  doing  further  the  spirit  of  the  Red  Cross  in  each 
community.  The  chapter  should  also  establish  the  charge  for  in- 
struction in  this  course,  and  the  amount  of  the  instructor's  compen- 
sation, and  should  collect  the  class  fees  and  pay  the  instructor.  It  Is 
especially  desirable  that  the  class  fees  of  students  be  the  minimum 
if  the  class  is  composed  of  women  of  limited  means;  and  by  proper 
management  the  chapter  may  be  able  to  extend  the  benefits  of  the 
course  to  many  who  could  not  otherwise  afford  to  take  the  instruction. 


72 

THE    DEVELOPMENT    AND    ADMINISTRATION    OF    CHAPTER 
NURSING  ACTIVITIES. 

The  various  specific  nursing  activities  which,  under  proper  con- 
ditions, may  be  instituted  by  a  chapter  are: 

(a)  To  develop  and  aid  in  the  organization  of  public  health 
nursing  over  the  entire  territory  of  the  chapter. 

(b)  To  co-operate,  wherever  possible,  with  federal,  state  or  local 
public  health  officials  and  bodies,  and  with  the  Federal  Children's 
Bureau,  in  health  campaigns. 

(c)  To  cooperate  in  the  organization  of  committees  on  nursing 
activities  in  branches  and  auxiliaries  where   desirable. 

(d)  To  organize  and  conduct  classes  in  Home  Hygiene  and 
Care  of  the  Sick,  and  in  Home  Dietetics  and  to  develop  and  extend 
such  instruction  to  schools,  clubs,  industries,  churches,  etc. 

(e)  To  cooperate  in  the  enrollment  of  Red  Cross  nurses  and 
dietitians. 

(f)  To  engage  in  such  other  Red  Cross  nursing  activities  as 
may  be  established. 

The  chapter  Committee  on  Nursing  Activities  should  include 
among  its  members  one  or  more  representatives  of  each  of  the  fol- 
lowing: 

(a)  The  Board  of  Health. 

(b)  The  Board  of  Education  (or  a  representative  teacher). 

(c)  The   Medical  Association. 

(d)  The  Chamber  of  Commerce   or  Board   of  Trade. 

(e)  The   clergy. 

(f)  Such  other  active  local  organizations  as  the  Civic  Club, 
Woman's  Club,  etc. 

(g)  The  Chapter  Home  Service  Section.  It  may  be  of  advantage 
also  to  have  a  representative  of  the  Committe  on  Nursing  Activities 
en  the  Home  Service  Committee,  and  it  is  suggested  that  this  be  ar- 
ranged for  when  practicable. 

(li)  The  Local  Committee  on  Red  Cross  Nursing  Service,  whe^'e 
convenient;  or  if  not,  then  a  representative  Red  Cross  nurse  qualified 
as  a  general  representative  of  the  Red  Cross  Nursing  Service  should 
be  appointed  with  the  approval  of  the  Division  Director  of  Nursing. 

(i)     Other  local   public  health  nursing  agencies,   if  any. 

(j)     Chapter   School   Committee. 

(k)  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  (usually  a  Home 
Demonstration  agent.) 

All  money  required  for  chapter  nursing  activities,  such  as  admin- 
ifrtration  expenses,  salaries  of  public  health  nurses,  cost  of  trans- 
portation and  the  purchase  of  equipment  and  supplies  may  be  taken 
from  the  general  chapter  funds,  when  sufficient,  on  authorizaMon  of 
the  Chapter  Executive  Committee. 


73 

It  is  desirable  that  courses  should  not  be  given  gratis,  but  the 
chapter,  in  organizing  classes,  should  take  into  account  the  finan- 
cial ability  of  the  class  members  and  charge,  where  advisable,  only  a 
nominal   sum. 

Hereafter,  all  the  chapter  functions  of  the  nursing  service  ai'e  to 
be  conducted  by  the  Chapter  Committee  on  Nursing  Activities,  and 
this  committee  should  absorb  the  committee,  if  any,  now  conduct- 
ing the  course  in  Home  Hygiene  and  Care  of  the  Sick  and  Home 
Dietetics,  but  should  not  include  the  direction  of  First  Aid  instruction 
among  its  functions. 

THE   ORGANIZATION    AND   ADMINISTRATION    OF   A    PUBLIC 
HEALTH  NURSING  SERVICE. 

The  Red  Cross  would  prefer  to  have  communities  organize  and 
finance  their  own  public  health  nursing  service,  where  possible, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  state  authorities.  Where  the  community 
is  unable,  or  rot  ready  to  bear  the  entire  burden  of  financing  a  public 
health  nursing  service,  the  Red  Cross  will  undertake  to  organize  the 
service  and  finance  it,  with  the  aid  of  the  community  or  from  its  own 
funds,  until  such  time  as  the  state  or  municipality  will  take  over  the 
direction   and   supervision   of  the   service. 

Where  no  Public  Health  Nursing  Service  exists  or  none  is  im- 
mediately projected  it  is  very  desirable  that  a  chapter  establish  such 
a  service  and  chapter  funds  may  be  used  for  this  purpose.  How- 
ever, it  will  be  preferable  in  many  cases  not  to  use  chapter  funds 
wholly,  but  to  enlist  the  support  of  the  community  by  seeking  the 
money  needed  from  sources  such  as  municipal  or  county  funds,  pri- 
vate contributions,  or  special  campaigns. 

Where  an  organization  interested  in  child  welfare  or  general 
public  health  nursing  has  been  working  in  a  territory  for  a  con- 
siderable period  and  is  contemplating  the  establishment  of  a  public 
health  nursing  service,  the  Red  Cross  chapter  should  not  establish 
such  a  service  without  consulting  the  organization  first  in  the  field. 
Where  it  is  ascertained  that  the  other  organization  is  considering 
the  establishment  of  a  public  health  nursing  service  and  is  well 
able  to  conduct  it,  the  chapter  should  abandon  any  plans  for  setting 
up  such  a  service.  Where  the  other  organization  is  accumulating 
funds  and  is  in  a  fair  way  to  collect  an  amount  sufficient  to  set  up 
the  service  the  chapter  should  also  withdraw  from  the  field. 

Where  there  is  an  existing  organization  conducting  a  public 
health  nursing  service  which  might  greatly  extend  the  development  of 
its  work  through  the  financial  assistance  of  a  chapter,  the  chapter 
could  appropriate  from  its  funds  a  sum  sufficient  to  aid  in  the  de- 
velopment. No  donations  from  chapter  funds  in  excess  of  one- 
tenth  of  the  yearly  expense  of  conducting  the  public  health  nursing 


74 

service  shall  be  made,  except  upon  consultation  with  the  Division 
Manager,  the  Director  of  the  Division  Department  of  Nursing  and 
the  Director  of  the  Division  Bureau  of  Public  Health  Nursing,  as  to 
the  wisdom  of  employing  chapter  funds  in  the  development  of  the 
service  in  question,  as  very  often  it  requires  a  close  inspection  of  all 
aspects  of  the  situation  to  determine  whether  the  money  would  be 
well  invested  or  not. 

The  desirability  of  establishing  a  chapter  public  health  nursing 
service  having  been  decided  upon,  the  chapter  should  adopt  in  ad- 
vance some  plan  for  financing  it.  The  financing  of  the  public  health 
nursing  service  shall  be  done  by  the  Chapter  Committee  on  Nursing 
Activities,  subject  to  and  with  the  advice  of  the  Chapter  Executive 
Committee. 

The  nursing  of  patients  shall  be  carried  on  only  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  physician.  No  other  procedure  is  possible  unless  the  nurse 
oversteps  the  bound  of  her  profession. 

Bedside  care  shall  not  be  extended  to  patients  with  certain 
communicable  diseases,  such  as  smallpox,  scarlet  fever,  etc.,  unless 
due  provision  can  be  made  for  the  protection  of  other  patients. 
Instruction  in  nursing  and  every  possible  assistance  shall  be  given  to 
families  in  which  such  cases  occur. 

Under  no  circumstances  shall  a  public  health  nurse  be  expected 
to  act  as  dispenser  of  food,  clothing,  money  or  other  form  of  material 
relief. 

The  Red  Cross  public  health  nurse  shall  wear  the  standard 
nurse's  uniform  of  the  American  Red  Cross.  Specifications  for  this 
uniform  shall  be  obtained  by  the  Chapter  Committee  from  the 
Division  Director  of  Public  Health  Nursing. 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  scope  of  usefulness  of  a  public 
health  nurse  is  greatly  broadened  in  a  community  by  placing  the  work 
on  a  business  basis,  as  many  families  who  would  not  request  the 
services  of  a  nurse  when  the  service  is  on  a  fe'ee  basis,  will  readily 
do  so  when  a  fee  is  charged.  The  Chapter  Committee  on  Nursing 
Activities  shall  decide  the  chapter  policy  on  this  question  and  fix  the 
fee  (sufficient  to  cover  the  average  cost  per  visit)  to  be  charged  for 
all  visits  made  at  the  request  of  the  family  visited.  Any  family 
in  the  community  should  be  entitled  to  call  for  the  services  of  a 
nurse  and  the  public  health  nurse  should,  in  conference  with  the 
sub-committee,  if  necessary,  determine  what  fee,  if  any,  should  be 
charged  those  patients  unable  to  pay  the  usual  fee. 

The  public  health  nurses  must  be  appointed  to  the  chapter  by 
the  Bureau  of  Public  Health  Nursing  at  Red  Cross  Division  Head- 
quarters. In  many  cases  the  Chapter  Committee  on  Nursing  Activ- 
ities will  request  that  a  specific  nurse  be  appointed,  or  suggest  desir- 
able local  candidates.     All   such   cases   shall  be  taken   up   with   the 


75 

Division  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Public  Health  Nursing  and  every 
efiort  will  be  made  to  comply  with  the  chapter's  wishes. 

Nurses  desiring  to  serve  as  Red  Cross  public  health  nurses  must 
meet  all  the  requirements  of  the  Red  Cross  Bureau  of  Public  Health 
Nursing  and  must  be  enrolled  Red  Cross  nurses  or  must  make  appli- 
cation for  enrollment. 

An  effort  should  be  made  by  the  Chapter  Committee  on  Nurs- 
iiig  Activities  to  interest  a  nurse  who  is  a  local  resident,  and  who 
will  meet  the  Red  Cross  requirements  for  the  service.  The  nurse's 
knowledge  of  and  her  adaptability  to  local  conditions  will  be  of  help 
in  her  work. 

The  first  three  months  of  a  nurse's  services  shall  be  considered 
a  probationary  period,  during  which  time  either  the  Chapter  Com- 
mittee on  Nursing  Activities  is  free  to  dismiss  the  nurse  or  the 
Eurse  may  resign,  on  a  short  notice. 

Any  time  after  the  expiration  of  the  three  months'  probationary 
period  when  a  change  or  dismissal  of  nurses  is  desired,  at  least  a 
month's  notice  thereof  shall  be  given  to  the  nurse  and  to  the 
Division  Director  of  Public  Health  Nursing.  The  nurse  shall  also 
give  a  month's  notice  of  her  intention  to  leave. 

When  practicable  the  nurse  shall  have  one-half  day  a  week,  ex- 
clusive of  Sundays  and  holidays,  for  rest  and  recreation. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  nurses  should  not  be  called  for 
night  duty,  but  in  case  of  emergency,  when  this  is  done,  the  chapter 
should  provide  for  the  care  of  her  patients  during  the  day.  The 
chapter  should  forbid  any  attempts  made  by  the  nurse  to  practice 
privately  after  hours. 

It  is  desirable  that  the  nurse  have  an  office  where  she  may 
be  found  at  stated  hours  for  conferences  and  for  minor  dressings. 
This  office  should  not  be  connected  with  any  church  or  society  giving 
material  relief.  Such  an  office  will  fill  a  great  need  in  small  com- 
munities, if  it  can  be  centrally  located,  and  may  also  serve  the  pur- 
pose of  a  dispensary,  with  a  physician  in  attendance,  one  or  two  days 
a  wotk.  It  is  suggested  that  the  office  be  a  part  of  the  chapter 
headquarters   where  convenient 


Address  hy  Dr.  Arthur  T.  McCormack,  St^te  Health  Officer 
of  Kentucky,  Late  Chief  Health  Officer  of  Panama  Canal. 
Subject:  ''The  Kentucky  Health  Problem." 
Kentucky's  health  problem  may  be  discussed  under  three  heads: 
(1)  Invoice  of  health  conditions  so  we  may  know  which  need  remedy- 
ing. (2)  Invoice  of  health  agencies  so  necessary  additions  may  be 
estimated  and  provided  for.    (.3)  What  is  to  be  done  now? 


76 

Regardless  of  your  knowledge  and  mine,  that  almost  half  of  the 
annual  death  rate  of  Kentucky  is  premature,  caused  by  diseases  which 
can  and  should  be  entirely  prevented;  in  spite  of  the  progress  that 
has  been  made  in  this  State  in  abstract  knowledge  of  the  sanitary 
laws  of  life — and  in  no  other  State  has  greater  progress  been  made, 
nor  are  the  health  authorities  so  secure  in  the  co-operation  of  the 
people  in  any  other  State  as  in  Kentucky — our  country  is  confronted 
with  a  demonstrable  threat  of  national  inefficiency  from  ill  health.  It 
is  my  purpose  not  merely  to  arouse  this  distinguished  body  to  a  reali- 
zation of  this  threat.  A  mere  rhetorical  display  which  would  present  to 
you  the  history  of  the  mistakes  of  past  ages  would  be  as  futile  as  it  has 
always  been.  I  would  awaken  you  not  only  to  the  dangers  which 
threaten,  but  to  your  own  duty  and  responsibility  in  devising  prac- 
ticable measures  for  preventing  them  while  there  is  yet  time.  It  is 
to  such  organizations  as  this  that  the  country  has  a  right  to  look 
for  leadership — such  inspired  leadership  as  will  not  only  present  its 
facts  convincingly,  as  will  fearlessly  denounce  error  or  mistake  in 
men  or  methods;  as  will,  above  all,  devise  and  demonstrate  the  cor- 
rect ways  and  means;  and  then  will  persuade  fiscal  courts,  city  boards, 
the  General  Assembly  and  the  National  Congress  to  adopt  such 
ways  and  means  as  will  carry  the  lessons  which  mean  health,  life  and 
efficiency  tt)  every  individual  in  every  home,  however  remote  in  the 
country,  however  crowded  in  the  city. 

It  is  with  this  purpose  that  I  shall  present  to  you  certain  funda- 
mental facts  as  a  basis  for  the  executive  and  educational  structure 
I  would  rear,  embracing  not  health  alone,  but  all  those  elements  of 
action  and  knowledge  on  the  part  of  its  citizenship  which  are  essential 
to  the  welfare  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Naturally  these  statements  of  fact  will  be  based  upon  my  own 
experience  as  executive  officer  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of 
Kentucky,  and  will  suggest  remedies  for  the  conditions  which  exist 
here,  although  these  conditions  can  be  multiplied  by  the  number  of 
states  in  the  Union,  except  that  the  factors  going  to  make  up  the 
sum  total  of  good  or  bad  health  of  the  people  of  each  state  vary  with 
many  more  or  less  local  conditions,  which  it  is  not  necessary  for 
me  to  enumerate  here.  In  Kentucky  we  have  about  30,000  deaths 
each  year  and  a  few  more  than  60,000  births.  Of  the  deaths  not  only 
are  practically  14,000  each  year  from  diseases  which  we  now  know 
how  to  prevent,  but  the  enormous  sick  rate  of  which  these  14,000 
deaths  are  the  ultimate  and  tangible  result  would  likewise  have 
been  entirely  prevented  had  modern  sanitary  knowledge  been  ap- 
plied by  the  people  themselves  at  the  right  time.  For  example,  in  1918, 
a  typical  year,  we  had  4,643  deaths  from  tuberculosis,  and  27,858  cases 
of  illness  from  this  disease  were  reported;  1,100  little  babies  died 
with  the  diarrheal  disorders  of  infancy  and  22,000  of  them  were  re- 
ported as  ill  from  this  disease;   there  were  625  deaths  from  typhoid 


77 

fever  and  9,375  people  suffered  from  this  purely  filth-borne  disease; 
241  Kentuckians  died  from  diphtheria,  while  2,410-  of  them  had  their 
lives  endangered  from  this  cause;  there  were  342  deaths  from  measles 
from  17,100  cases  and  829  whooping  cough  from  41,450  cases; 
1,202  of  our  citizens  died  from  cancer,  and  there  were  1,776  killed  by 
•industrial  or  other  violence.  In  other  words,  and  summing  the  mat- 
ter up  in  a  common  denominator,  which  is  understood  wherever 
English  is  spoken,  during  1918,  which  has  been  an  average  year  so 
far  as  sickness  and  death  have  been  concerned,  preventable  illness 
has  cost  the  people  of  Kentucky  in  unnecessary  doctors',  druggists' 
and  nurses'  bills  and  loss  of  tfime  from  work,  $76,549,828.  During  the 
»ame  time,  in  its  dead  citizens,  valued  by  economists  purely  as  ma- 
chines at  $1,700  eaeh,  that  Commonwealth  has  lost  $41,211,400  in  the 
unnecessary,  premature  and  preventable  deaths  that  have  occurred. 
As  badly  as  the  State  needs  many  things,  it  is  wasting  the  enormous 
equivalent  in  human  flesh  and  bfood  of  $117,761,228  a  year  in  wholly 
unnecessary  sickness  and  death,  at  least  three-fourths  of  which  is 
readily  preventable  and  should  and  can  be  prevented  within  ten 
years. 

In  1916  when  our  militia  was  mobilized,  as  a  member  of  the 
Medical  Reserve  Corps  of  the  United  States  Army  I  was  ordered  to 
assist  in  the  examination  of  the  Kentucky  militia.  At  the  call  of 
the  President  and  country  there  assembled  4,200  militiamen  who  were 
selected,  as  prescribed  by  law,  from  among  the  thousands  of  their 
countrymen  who  would  gladly  have  responded  to  the  Union's  call. 
These  men  were  selected  by  their  officers,  because  superficially,  at 
least,  they  seemed  to  possss  the  physical  stamina  and  mental  caliber 
necessary  to  make  soldiers.  When  the  physical  examinations  were 
completed,  and  they  were  conducted  entirely  by  experienced  Ken- 
tucky physicians,  it  was  found  that  1,600,  or  37  per  cent,  were  phy- 
sically udifit  to  go  to  the  front. 

The  deductions  drawn  from  these  smaller  figures  are  amply  con- 
firmed by  the  larger  ones  of  the  National  Army.  75,024  men  were 
examined,  and  with  materials,  lowered  standards  as  to  height,  and 
weight,  which  accounts  fully  for  the  difference,  25%  were  physically 
unfit  for  duty  as  soldiers.  In  both  examinations,  however,  the  total 
rejections  as  totally  unfit  and  wholly  useless  were  between  14  and 
16%  of  the  total.  Of  these  at  least  half  are  as  useless  and  worthless 
as  citizens  as  they  would  have  been  as  soldiers.  They  represent  a 
degenerate,  because  diseased,  riff-raff  from  our  cities  and  small  towns 
with  neither  morals,  mind  nor  physique  sufficient  for  them  to  solve 
the  complex  problems  of  modern  life  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  them 
useful.  I  regret  to  say  that  I  believe  had  this  mobilization  been  of 
our  women,  even  the  women  of  Kentucky  who  are  our  pride  and 
boast,  although  .the  causes  of  deficiency  would  have  been  superficially 
different,   practically    the    same   results   would   have   presented    them- 


78 

selves.  Necessarily  and  naturally  these  figures  do  not  include  the 
obviously  unfit,  such  as  the  insane,  feeble-minded,  criminal  classes, 
but  I  desire  to  catll  attention  to  the  existence  of  an  inefficient  class 
in  the  United  States,  largely  due  to  physical  causes  entirely  pre- 
ventable oi:  remediable,  constituting  approximately  one-ten^h  of  our 
population,  who  remain  so  constantly  inefficient  throughout  life 
that  they  are  not  self-maintaining,  but  are  community  or  family  bur- 
dens, and  are  therefore  public  charges  directly  or  indirectly,  and  to 
leave  with  you  the  question  as  to  whether  it  would  not  be  better  for 
the  State  to  assume  the  charge  directly  with  a  view  to  gradually 
lessening  it. 

As  a  natural  corollary  of  these  vital  facts,  and  as  an  equally 
damning  factor  in  the  education  of  our  youth  for  citizenship,  I  ask 
your  attention  for  a  moment  to  these  facts  gleaned  from  the  census 
reports : 

Between  1870  and  1900  the  population  of  the  United  States  in- 
creased from  38,000,000  to  76,000,000,  and  in  the  same  period  the  tilled 
farm  land  area  increased  from  400,000,000  acres  to  839,000,000  acres. 
On  the  other  hand,  from  1900  to  1910  there  was  a  21  per  cent,  in- 
crease in  the  land  in  farms.  There  has  been  no  increase  in  the  pro- 
duction of  food  grains  in  the  last  twenty  years.  Between  1900  and 
1910  there  was  an  actual  decrease  of  20,000,000  of  the  food  producing 
animals,  although  there  was  an  increase  of  16,000,000  people  in  the 
same  time.  Between  1880  and  1910  the  area  of  tilled  farm  lands  in 
New  England,  New  York  and  New  Jersey  decreased  9,809,834  acres, 
and  in  a  recent  address  before  its  legislature  the  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia announced  that  there  are  now  in  that  state  10,000,000  acres 
of  tillable  unfarmed  lands. 

Turning  from  results  to  causes,  let  us  consider  the  basis  upon 
which  we  now  term  diseases  as  preventable,  realizing  that  preventive 
medicine  is  in  its  infancy,  and  that  such  a  consideration  is  elementary 
and  suggestive  as  compared  with  what  may  actually  be  done  when 
the  health  part  of  education  has  received  its  proper  emphasis. 

Preventable  diseases  are  grown  from  seed,  which  we  call  germs, 
just  as  crops  or  weeds  are  grown.  Just  as  the  seed  of  wheat  and  barley 
grow  best  in  the  North  and  cotton  and  sugar-cane  in  the  South,  so 
the  germs  of  tuberculosis,  of  diphtheria,  of  pneumonia  have  their 
natural  locus  in  the  respiratory  tract,  while  those  of  typhoid  fever,  the 
dysenteries  and  the  intestinal  parasites  are  found  developing  in  the 
intestines.  As  the  seeds  and  their  products,  as  food,  from  northern 
fields  are  distributed  not  only  through  the  South  but  throughout  the 
nations  of  the  earth — to  those  in  direct  line  first — just  so  these  dis- 
ease seed  and  their  products,  as  poisons,  are  found  scattered  through 
the  whole  body  of  the  one  in  whom  they  develop  and  are  thence  con- 
veyed to  relatives,  neighbors,  friends — to  those  in  direct  line  first. 
The  natural  laws  under  which  the  seed  of  the  field  are  planted,  de- 
velop their  crops  and  are  harvested  are   no  more  definitely  known 


79 

than  are  those  in  accordance  with  which  the  seed  of  these  diseases 
are  propagated,  develop  their  symptoms  and  are  harvested  as  un- 
necessary sickness,  preventable  death  or  lingering  inefficiency.  While 
it  is  true  that  scientists  understand  the  one  as  definitely  as  the  other 
the  practical  knowledge  of  crop  management  is  in  th«  hands  of  those 
who  manage  crops;  the  practical  knowledge  of  disease  prevention  and 
human  e^iciency  is  not  in  the  hands  of  those  who  would  live  and 
who  would  be  efficient.  It  is  the  man  who  has  the  disease  who  must 
know  how  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease  seed  which  have  de- 
veloped in  his  body.  Sanitation  has  too  much  emphasized  the  wrong 
of  having  disease  as  disting"uished  from  the  crime  of  spreading  dis- 
ease. It  would  be  neither  difficult  nor  expensive  for  every  individual 
to  so  manage  himself  or  for  counties  or  cities  to  so  manage  that 
practically  all  the  excretions  which  might  harbor  diseased  seed  would 
be  so  disposed  of  that  they  would  not  reach  some  other  individual. 
A  child  who  contracts  diphtheria  or  influenza  from  you  or  me  and 
dies  is  poisoned,  is  murdered  as  much  as  if  you  or  I  poisoned  it  with 
strychnine  or  arsenic.  Systematic  and  annually  repeated  examinations 
of  the  well  so  that  remediable  defects  may  be  remedied  while  simple; 
early  and  adequate  treatment,  including  nursing  and  hopitalization  of 
infectious  diseases,  with  a  view  to  not  only  decreasing  the  death 
rate  but  to  preventing  the  spread  of  sickness;  systematic  inspection 
and  sanitary  licensing  of  food  for  their  citizenship  producing  and 
handling  establishments;  the  economic  disposal  of  garbage  and  manure 
so  as  to  prevent  fly  breeding  and  water  pollution;  the  provision  of 
pure  water  supplies  not  only  for  cities  but  for  homes.  When  what 
we  now  know  of  the  causes  of  diseases  and  methods  of  spread  are 
known  to  every  individual,  health  departments  will  have  the  time  and 
equipment  to  investigate  and  include  many  other  diseases  now  con- 
tributing to  inefficiency,  but  which  we  are  as  yet  unable  to  prevent, 
and  will  assist  those  who  have  an  aroused  health  conscience  not  to 
spread;  will  perform  those  definite  community  functions  which  can 
be  done  more  effectively  and  economically  than  by  each  household 
separately;  will,  by  frequent  physical  examinations  and  re-examina- 
tions, help  each  and  all  to  practical  knowledge  of  how  to  live  and 
work  and  play;  will  bring  before  the  courts  those  criminals  who 
propagate  disease;  and,  more  than  all  else,  will  continue  to  take  their 
part  in  the  training  of  the  young  during  their  formative  periods  in 
all  these  things. 

How  may  these  desirable  ends  be  brought  about  in  these  physi- 
cally degenerate  days  in  which  we  live? 

I  shall  answer  this  query  by  recalling  to  you  the  definite  cam- 
paign conducted  by  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  Kentucky,  financed 
by  the  Rockefeller  Commission  for  the  eradication  of  hookworm  dis- 
ease. The  incidents  of  this  campaign,  with  its  successes  and  failures, 
constitute  the  most  brilliant  page  of  health  work  in  Kentucky,  and 


80 

the  lessons  it  has  taught  there  are  capable  of  universal  application 
in  all  sections  and  for  all  diseases. 

In  order  to  make  this  clear,  I  must  tell  you  what  we  told  the 
people  at  every  crossroads  in  the  counties-  where  these  public  health 
campaigns  were  conducted  about  hookworm  disease.  Tliis  disease 
is  most  prevalent  in  the  sandy  soils  of  our  hill  and  mountain  sections. 
The  people  of  this  part  of  Kentucky  are  a  pure  bred  Anglo-Saxon 
people.  They  have  the  virtues  and  faults  of  their  ancestry.  Hospitable, 
frugal,  conservative,  it  is  necessary  to  actually  show  them  the  proof 
of  one's  proposition;  but  once  convinced,  it  is  easy  to  get  their  co- 
operation, but  difficult  to  keep  it.  About  hookworm  disease  they 
knew  nothing;  hence  did  not  believe  such  a  disease  existed.  They 
did  not  actually  believe  it  non-existent,  as  so-called  more  highly  edu- 
cated antis  would,  but  had  never  heard  of  it.  Even  if  there  were 
such  a  thing,  they  did  not  believe  they  had  it,  or,  if  they  did,  that 
we  could  recognize  or  cure  it,  and  many  of  them,  religious  but  fatalis- 
tic, believe  that,  in  common  with  all  afflictions,  it  there  is,  and  if  they 
have  hookworm  disease,  it  has  been  given  them  for  a  good  purpose 
by  a  higher  power  who  will  relieve  them  of  it  when  He  chooses.  They 
gathered  at  our  announced  dispensaries  by  the  dozens  or  hundreds, 
frequently  coming  for  miles,  quietly  distrustful,  but  equally  without 
prejudice  for  or  against  us  or  our  propaganda. 

The  hookworm  is  about  half  as  long  as  a  common  pin  and  about 
the  size  of  a  pin.  In  its  natural  size,  seen  singly,  it  does  not  appear 
formidable.  But  when  you  see  its  magnified  mouth,  with  its  hooks 
from  which  its  name  is  derived,  and  know  that  once  hooked  into 
the  intestine  it  sucks  blood,  each  worm  using  a  dtop  or  more  each 
day,  and  then,  through  what  we  may  call  its  hollow  fangs,  it  pours 
its  poison  into  the  blood  stream,  and  that  it  is  rarely  found  singly 
but  usually  by  hundreds  and  not  infrequently  by  thousands,  it  is  easy 
to  realize  its  twofold  results  in  the  individual,  especially  if  young 
and  undernourished,  who  harbors  it.  These  are  stunted  of  growth, 
frequently  even  to  dwarfish,  from  the  anemia  or  blood  starvation,  and 
toxemia  from  the  poison  infected.  A  boy  of  twenty  may  look  as  if  he 
were  ten  or  twelve — permanently  ruined,  dwarfed,  hopeless,  a  mental, 
moral,  physical  wreck,  stranded  by  an  eddy  in  the  river  of  progress — 
and  yet  live  for  years;  while  another,  similarly  infected,  may  develop 
the  rapid  anemia  and  toxemia,  abdominal  dropsy  and  general  edema 
and  death. 

.Each  female  worm  lays  eggs  by  the  hundreds.  These  pass  with 
the  dejecta,  and  dropped  where  there  is  shade,  moisture  and  warmth, 
the  eggs  soon  hatch  out  their  -baby  worms,  and  these  are  in  a  few 
days  ready  to  push  through  the  exposed  skin  of  the  toes,  legs  or  hands 
of  the  next  unthinking  boy  or  girl  who  comes  along.  In  the  toes  or 
along  the  legs  they  produce  the  symptom  long  known  as  dew  poison,  or 
toe  itch,  for  which  our  grandmothers  tied  a  greased,  red  flannel  string 


81 

1 
around  the  big  toe.    This   treatment  always   cured    (?),  because   the 

tiny   worms,   1/400   of  an  inch  long,   rapidly  work   through  the   skin 

and  flesh  and  swim  along  the  veins  to  the  heart  and  lungs,  whence  they 

are  coughed  up  and  then  swallowed,  finally  attaching  themselves  in 

the   intestines,   sucking   in   their   food  of   its   wall .  and   they   remain 

months  or  years  until  accident  or  treatment  dislodges  them,  causing 

the  various  and  vague  symptoms  and  physical  phenomena  which  go 

to  make  up  what  we  call  hookworm  disease. 

You  understand  that  I  am  but  sketching  the  picture  which  is 
drawn  in  the  vernacular  when  talking  to  the  people,  a  lantern  slide 
showing  each  step  to  the  eye  as  the  words  describe  it  to  the  ear. 
The  audience  listens,  respectfully,  intent,  but  unconvinced. 

We  show  them  on  the  screens  groups  from  neighboring  sections — 
the  nearer  the  better — calling  attention  to  the  expression  or  rather 
lack  of  mobile  expression  the  laughless  face,  frequently  asym- 
metrical; the  staring  fish  eyes,  the  protuberant,  dropsical  abdomen — 
what  they  call  pot-belly — in  the  children,  the  swollen  legs,  whole 
families  consisting  of  many  stunted,  mirthless  children,  varying  but 
little  in  size,  but  all  prematurely  aged  and  apparently  with  the  weight 
of  the  ages  on  their  too  small  shoulders.  We  throw  on  the  screen  the 
old  houses,  carved  out  of  the  forests  by  the  hands  of  their  pioneer 
forefathers,  and  get  them  to  see  with  us  their  rotting  timbers,  broken 
porches,  the  irregular  and  broken  comb-lines  of  the  roof,  missing  rocks 
in  unpointed,  decaying  chimneys.  We  picture  the  gradually  decreas- 
ing acreage  of  tilled  lands  on  the  farms  of  which  these  houses  are 
the  homesteads,  the  successive  areas  of  "new  ground,"  cleared  of  their 
virginal  forests,  the  surface  soil  frequently  washed  away,  leaving 
the  bare,  gravelly  ditches  washing  over  patches  of  dwarfed  grain. 
Where  the  pioneers  built  homes  the  later  generation  built  cabins, 
first  log  and  now  the  miserable,  rough,  upright  box  houses  that  too 
frequently  sawmills  enable  those  decadents  to  build.  Children,  parents, 
homes,  farms,  orchards,  even  the  infrequent  livestock,  all  seem  to  be 
laboring  under  some  spell  that  makes  them  slow  and  heavy,  dull 
and  listless.  Of  course  we  all  know  that  not  all  of  any  section  of 
Kentucky  is  like  this  gloomy  picture,  and  that  in  many  parts  of  the 
State  there  is  practically  no  hookworm  disease.  The  exceptions  in 
the  affected  sections  are  the  rifts  in  the  clouds  that  show  what  all 
could  be,  what  all  have  a  right  to  be,  when  they  are  cared  for  as 
human  beings,  examined  and  treated  and  then  followed  up  and  re 
habili  nted,  shown  hov/  to  earn  a  living,  and  then  how  to  live.  Jubi 
as  we  lead  them  on  the  pathway  to  health,  so  must  they  as  care- 
fully, as  slowly,  as  thoughtfully,  be  taught  to  see  and  tread  the  other 
paths;  all  essential  for  them  to  know  the  road  to  a  wholesome,  moral, 
useful  life. 

Next,  pictured  on  the  screen,  is  shown  a  dilapidated  building — 
evidently  not  a  safe  or  fit  refuge  or  abiding  place  for  the  beasts  ol 


82 

the  field — and  we  try  to  show  the  futility  of  such  schoolhouses  for 
any  practical  training  in  life  as  it  should  be  distinguished  from  as 
it  is.  A  few  interiors  from  the  worst  class  of  schools;  many  without 
desks  having  only  rough  benches;  others  with  desks  designed  by  a 
descendant  of  old  Procrustes,  the  feet  of  the  smaller  children 
dangling,  asleep,  on  their  tiny  legs  varying  inches  from  the  floor, 
the  gaunt  legs  of  the  older  ones  twisted,  scissors  fashion,  as  they  bend 
their  stooped  shoulders  to  try  to  cipher  or  decipher  in  the  poorly 
lighted,  badly  ventilated  r^om.  Stove  and  children  quickly  consume 
between  them  the  available  oxygen,  and  the  poor  youngsters  who 
contin^ie  to  drink  at  these  Pierian  springs  hibernate  through  their 
school  days,  asphyxiating  themselves  as  the  bears  in  the  same  wilds 
did  before  them. 

Small  wonder  when  one  sees  such  schools,  and  even  much  better 
ones,  and  knows  that  these  children  and  their  parents  "sense,"  with- 
out exactly  knowing  that  they  know,  that  the  curriculum  is  as  use- 
less in  their  lives  as  "a  painted  ship  on  a  painted  ocean,"  that  the 
investigation  in  one  of  our  best  counties  has  shown  that  47  per  cent 
of  those  of  school  age  are  enrolled  as  pupils  in  the  common  schools  in 
spite  of  drastic  compulsory  education  laws.  Of  this  less  than  half  of 
the  children,  only  20  per  cent  enter  high  school;  while  but  3  per 
cent  of  the  latter  go  to  college,  and,  last  and  most  significant,  in  this 
good  county,  of  this  3  per  cent  trained  under  a  whojly  impractical  and 
inefficient  system,  less  than  0.1  per  cent  return  to  live  in  the  county 
which  educated  them.  And  yet,  wond^ful  to  relate,  the  whole  course 
of  education  from  the  first  grade  to  the  eighth  through  the  high 
school  and  the  college,  is  framed,  as  it  came  through  Virginia  from 
England,  for  the  negligible  minimum  who  are  too  frequently  taught 
just  enough  to  ruin  them  for  useful  lives  in  their  nautral  rural  en- 
vironment and  driven  to  make  a  large  part  of  the  half-baked,  under 
paid,  submerged,  professional  or  semi-professional  town  or  city  men. 
What  a  wealth  of  truth  and  philosophy,  what  a  general  application, 
had  Uncle  Remus'  exclamation  about  his  humbler  race:  "Put  a 
spellin'  book  in  a  nigger's  hand  an'  right  den  an'  dar  you  ruins  a 
plow  hand.  Wid  one  bar'l  stave  I  can  fa'rly  lift  the  veil  of  ignorance; 
yes,  honey,  wid  one  bar'l  stave  I  can  teach  more  dan  all  the  schools 
twixt  dis  and  Michigan." 

And  yet  in  one  of  the  humblest  of  those  schools  was  observed 
one  of  the  most  pathetic  examples  of  primal  vocational  education. 
In  the  very  heart  of  the  hills  we  found  it,  its  teacher  and  each  and 
every  one  of  its  forty-five  pupils,  a  victim  of  hookworm  disease,  to 
say  nothing  of  other  ailments,  and  as  we  went  in  we  found  this 
teacher  giving  a  rather  complex  lesson  in  music  to  these  pupils.  On 
a  blackboard,  once  black  calico,  and  blacked  and  reblacked  with  stove 
polish  or  shoe  blacking,  he  had  laboriously  drawn  his  bars  and  notes 
where  his  flimsy  "board"  rested  against  the  smooth  logs,  leiiaving  his 


83 

students  to  read  between  the  lines  what  they  would  where  the  rough 
"chinkin"  made  writing  impossible.  Standing  in  the  door  of  this  cabin 
school  I  could  look  across  a  ravine  and  see  a  ledge  of  coal  that  under- 
lies practically  all  of  this  county,  and  yet  wood  in  a  tight  stove  con- 
sumed the  scanty  oxygen  of  these  already  anemic  pupils.  As  I  thought 
that  if  these  children  went  through  the  eight  years  of  the  common 
school,  and  tli^n,  as  no  child  has  yet  done  from  that  district,  spent 
four  years  in  a  high  school  and  four  in  a  college,  and  more  yet  in  a 
university,  he  might  and  would  be  taught  i^ny  things,  he  might  learn 
to  become  a  faddist  or  to  call  himself  ^a  philosopher;  but  in  them 
all  he  would  never  learn  things  that  he  could  bring  back  home  to  his 
own  kind  which  would  call  them  out  from  their  inefficient,  because 
diseased  lives  and  teach  them  the  value  of  the  soil  and  minerals  with 
which  they  are  surrounded.  It  w^as  only  after  returning  home  that, 
pondering  over  these  things  and  others,  I  realized  that  the  teacher 
taught  wiser  than  he  knew.  In  Kentucky,  out  of  each  five  babies 
born  one  dies  in  infancy;  another  in  childhood;  a  third  between  child- 
hood and  womanhood  or  manhood;  and,  of  the  other  two,  only  one 
goes  to  school;  and  it  dawned  on  me  that  this  poor  teacher,  intuitively 
feeling  these  things  he  could  not  knew,  taught  music  because  his 
pupils  would,  mostly,  join  the  heavenly  choir,  where  music  will  be 
their  vocation. 

These  details  are  essential  to  the  preparation  of  these  people's 
minds,  but  they  all  have  seen  all  these  things  throughout  their  lives, 
without  realizing  their  cause,  effect  or  relative  proportion,  and  this 
recital  leaves  them  unconvinced  of  the  reality  of  hookworm  disease. 

Then  the  screen  tells  human  stories,  written,  it  almost  seems,  in 
the  very  blood  of  those  it  pictures.  In  the  one  family  we  note  the 
marked  results  of  the  disease  itself  not  only  in  the  anemia  and  edema 
but  the  squalor  and  abject  poverty — the  hopeless  worthlessness  of 
them  all;  or  another  family  in  another  county,  typical  of  hundreds  of 
their  too  prolific  kind,  who  never  laughed,  sang,  bathed,  thought  or 
worked.  Primitive  almost  as  when  Druids  were  priests,  glance  into 
their  cooking  and  eating  arrangements,  and  you  who  never  know 
the  pangs  of  hunger  unappeased,  pause  with  me  and  think  of  the  re- 
volting mess  of  corn  and  beans  swimming  in  unsavory  fattish  water 
and  turn  away  in  natural  disgust  and  as  naturally  ask,  "Am  I  my 
neighbor's  keeper?"  Then  think  of  the  slums,  of  the  brothels,  of  the 
grog-shops,  of  the  imbeciles,  of  the  jails  and  poor  farms,  of  the  housing 
of  the  workmen  in  mines  and  factories  and  on  farms,  of  all  burdens 
of  our  several  sections,  and  reconcile  yourselves  with  all  these  for- 
gotten ineffectives  and  the  great  Father  "who  must  love  the  poor 
because  he  made  so  many  of  them,"  think  and  pray  a  little  for  this 
stranded  section,  peopled  by  our  own  flesU  and  blood,  and  remember 
that  mos.t  of  these  njen  and  women  are  potential  sons  or  daughters 
of  the  Revolution  which  won  our  freedom;   that  they  are  as  proud 


84 

and  patriotic  as  they  are  shy,  ignorant  and  impoverished;  tAiat  they 
have  forgotten  and  been  forgotten  too  long  to  be  able  or  willing  to 
redeem  themselves;  that  thousands  of  them  are  paupered  inefficients, 
resident  in  pauper  counties,  and  that  this  nation  can  ill  afford  to 
lose  them  or  their  kind.  They  hold  as  much  promise  for  the  future 
as  any  section  of  the  race.  Make  them  conscious  of  their  real  con- 
dition, help  to  lead  them  into  all  that  i's  best  of  Christian  civilization, 
and  at  an  expenditure  of  a  few  cents  per  capita  for  a  few  years,  you 
can  add  a  better,  bigger  Scotland  to  the  world. 

Think  of  H C .    This  poor,  miserable,   dying  wretch 

was  hauled  from  the  county  poor  house  to  one  of  our  dispensaries 
for  miles  in  a  jolt  sled.  Pellagrous,  edematous,  gasping  for  breath, 
our  inspector  pulled  him  into  this  chair,  and  for  two  years  I  used  his 
picture  to  illustrate  the  end-results  of  a  certain  part  of  these  poor 
people.  One  night  I  told  his  story  to  our  legislature,  and  one  of  the 
senators,  recognizing  him,  exclaimed:  "Why,  Doctor,  that  man  is  alive 
and  well.  You  almost  refused  to  give  him  any  medicine  because  he 
was  so  near  dead.  But  he  took  it  after  that  long  ride  back  and  they 
said  he  passed  thousands  of  little  worms.  He  is  not  dead  at  all  but 
is  now  a  mine  foreman,  making  over  $5  a  day."  And  when  I  next  saw 
him  he  appeared  as  an  honest  workman,  his  clothes,  once  empty, 
almost  too  full  of  healthy  manhood,  and,  then  again,  dressed  up  on 
his  way  to  a  ball  game,  when  he  was  learning,  late  in  life,  the  ele- 
ments of  play  which  are  as  essential  as  work  to  well-rounded  de- 
velopment, and  which  is  a  rarer  accomplishment  even  than  work 
in  this  workaday  world  of  ours. 

Let  me  introduce  you  to  H L .   As  I  first  saw  him 

when  he  strayed,  more  in  the  semblance  of  a  fox  or  rabbit,  into  a 
crowded  dispensary  group,  the  good  country  doctor,  who  was  the 
mainstay  and  inspiration  of  that  particular  clinic,  as  some  good  coun- 
try doctor  was  of  all  of  them,  came  over  to  me  and  whispered:  "Get 
that  fellow  out  as  soon  as  you  can.  His  kind  are  so  degenerate,  he  is 
such  a  pariah  that  soon  no  one  else  will  be  here  if  we  keep  him." 
Naturally  interested  in  "poor  white  trash,"  these  hopeless  human 
derelicts,  the  diseased  and  ignorant  driftwood  of  our  own  race,  I  led 
him,  as  one  might  a  stray  pup,  to  the  barn,  and  when  we  had  un- 
dressed him  we  thought  we  had  a  case  of  tinea  versicoloris  or  some 
rarer  skin  disease,  but  subsequent  developments  showed  it  to  be  in- 
grained dirt.     H had  never  worn  his  clothes  out;  he  had  worn 

them  in.  He  had,  when  opportunity  offered,  added  any  outer  gar- 
ment which  might  cover  a  hole  or  reinforce  a  thin  place,  and  soap  and 
water  repeatedly  applied  for  months  uncovered  the  skin  underneath, 
as  a  little  medicine  and  much  kindness  and  some  food  brought  the 
mind  and  soul  that  had  sulked  in  that  miserable  body.  At  this  inter- 
view H ^  was  too  wild  and  shy,  as  well  as  ignorant,  to  tell  his 

story,  but  it   was  drawn   from  him   piecemeal  as  he  developed.     He 


85 

was  about  twenty-four  years  old.  He  did  not  remember  having  seen 
either  h!s  father  or  mother,  but  of  the  latter  "had  heered  she  was  an 
old  woman  over  the  hill."  I  asked  him  if  he  ever  earned  any  money. 
He  replied,  "$6."  Remembering  that  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  I 
asked  him  how  he  earned  it.  "I  sold  my  vote*three  times  for  $2  each 
time."  "For  whom  did  you  vote?"  "I  do  not  know.  The  man  who 
traded  with  me  told  me  to  take  a  stick  I  would  find  on  the  shelf  back 
of  the  curtain  and  make  a  mark  with  the  pointed  end  of  it  in  a  ring 
under  a  house  on  the  paper,  and  then  come  out  and  tell  him  the  kind 
of  a  house  it  was  and  he  would  give  me  $2."  I  never  think  of  the 
pathos  of  this  poor  fellow's  degradation  without  wondering  how  a 
man  who  opposed  his  wife's  right  to  vote  could  reconcile  her  to  any 
confidence  in  his  judgment  and  sense  of  fairness  if  he  believed  in 
manhood  suffrage,  and  that  this  animal  should  vote  merely  because  he 
had  a  semblance  of  a  man. 

In  one  of  our  interviews  I  asked  H ■ —  if  he  had  ever  heard  of 

the  Bible.     "No,  I  never  heerd  of  no  such  thing!"     "H ,  did  you 

ever  hear  of  Jesus  Christ?"  "No,"  came  his  slow  reply;  "there  was 
never  nobody  by  sueh  a  name  in  these  parts."  And  in  his  part  there 
never  had  been!  From  the  miserable  hovel  on  the  hills'de  where  he 
lived,  or  rather  existed,  the  spires  of  three  churches  could  be  seen 
pointing  toward  the  blue  sky.  Inquiry  showed  that  each  of  them 
made  substantial  contributions  toward  the  support  of  missionaries  in 

Asia  and  Africa.     In  this  they  are  right,  but  I'd  rather  have  H ■ 

L— 's  chance  for  admission  to  the  eternal  home  than  to  have  that 

of  all  those  who  merely  contribute  of  their  surplus  to  pay  substitutes 

to  do  their  work  in  His  vineyard  here!     H 's  treatment  cost  less 

than  a  dollar.  He  is  an  Anglo-Saxon  white  man  of  our  own  flesh  and 
blood.  He  earns  almost  as  much  per  day  for  honest  labor  as  he  had 
been  paid  in  twenty-four  years  for  his  d-shonor!  He  has  occupied  his 
idle  hours  wandering  over  bridle  paths  through  his  native  hills  se- 
curing specimens  for  examination  and  taking  back  the  medicine  to 
those  found  infested,  so  that  they  may  have  the  benefits  he  has  se- 
cured. Is  not  work  worth  while  which  will  redeem  such  pariahs? 
There  are  many  of  them  within  a  few  blocks  of  where  I  speak, 
wherever  that  may  be,  in  any  part  of  this  Christian  land  we  profess 
to  love.  And  I  would  rather  have  H 's  chance  here  and  here- 
after than  yours  or  mine,  unless  we  are  willing  to  give  some  of  our- 
selves, our  brawn  and  brain  to  the  service  of  our  neghbors. 

I  wish  all  of  you  could  have  seen  two  poor  children  in  Lai^e 
County  when  I  first  saw  them.  They  were  born  almost  in  sight  6f 
the  birthplace  of  and  from  the  same  social  substratum  as  our  great 
President,  Abraham  Lincoln.  A  telephone  message  came  to  us  from 
the  neighborhood  physician  that  he  had  five  cases  in  one  family? 
which  seemed  a  combination  of  Bright's  disease  and  peritoneal  tuber- 


culosiS' which  he  wanted  investigated.  Two  of  the  little  lives  had 
snuffed  out  before  we  saw  them.  Hookworms  were  so  thick  in  their 
starved  little  intestines  that  they  seemed  like  wet  hair-hrushes.  The 
little  remnants,  white  as  alabaster,  emaciated  yet  edematous,  looked 
like  the  spectres  they  s»on  would  have  been.  But  20  cents'  worth  of 
medicine  transformed  and  a  little  kindness  redeemed  them  and  their 
parents  too.  I  saw  them  first  after  a  year  and  marked  the  mere  physi- 
cal transformation.  This  in  itself  would  not  have  been  so  remarkable, 
because  we  have  often  seen  the  emaciated  and  the  weak  restored  to 
health  and  strength  by  love  and  care.  But  this  is  actual  redemption. 
A  little  search  would  have  revealed  these  lads'  grandparents  who 
were  neighbors  and  friends,  no  doubt,  of  Tom  Lincoln  and  Nancy 
Hanks.  Think  of  the  miserably  hovel  in  which  they  were  found;  sit- 
ting in  the  mud  of  the  "dog-tjot."  Think  with  me  of  these  two  old 
wrecks  who  had  tottered  through  their  worthless  existence,  without 
conscious  knowledge  of  any  of  the  higher  impulses  which  distinguish 
the  human  from  the  brute.  Will  you  turn  with  me  again  to  the 
grandchildren,  after  two  years,  and  as  we  know  them,  the  first  of 
their  breed  that  ever  worked:  descended  as  they  were  from  the  poor- 
est of  "poor  white  trash,"  and  realize  that  in  five  short  years  these 
three  boys  and  their  one  shiftless  father  and  mother  and  sister  and 
little  brothers  have  become  real  people,  that  he  has  paid  off  the  mort- 
gage on  their  rough  farm,  that  they  burned  some  lime  and  planted 
legumes  on  their  wornout  fields;  that  their  new  home  has  screened 
windows  in  its  dining-room-kitchen  and  that  a  Kentucky  sanitary 
privy  devised  by  my  father  as  a  necessity  of  this  campaign,  self- 
cleaning,  fly-proof,  water-tight  and  clean,  which  prevents  the  possi- 
bility of  the  soil  polution  which  ha.«  dragged  their  family  in  its  de- 
graded depths,  and,  at  the  same  time,  fertilizes  a  flower  bed,  typical 
of  the  ];Jcom  of  hope,  of  life,  now  and  in  eternity,  that  has  come  to 
them;  will  you  not  with  me  return  thanks  to  the  Great  Physician  that 
these  in  their  redemption  showed  how  the  inefficient,  submerged  ele- 
ment of  our  race  may  be  redeemed. 

Our  auij^nces  listen  to  these  recitals,,  moved  emotionally,  as  you 
are,  by  tllSfe;  but  they  listen  as  to  the  average  sermon — with  ap- 
proval, even  appreciation  of  what  has  been  done  for  these  poor 
sufferers,  but  without  any  idea  or  thought  that  they  themselves  are 
sufferers.  They  are  willing,  though,  almost  every  single  one  of  them, 
to  take  a  great  step  forward  in  cooperation  with  us — as  they  file  out 
of  the  meeting  place  they  take  the  proffered  little  tin  pillboxes,  and 
next  morning  each  of  them  brings  it,  half-filled  with  feces  for  exami- 
nation for  the  eggs  of  the  various  parasites.  The  bright  young 
women  trained  in  our  laboratories  as  microscopists,  who  travel  with 
us  to  these  people,  soon  find,  in  some  specimen,  hookworm  eggs,  and 
it  is  surprising  how  the  countryman,  used  to  sighting  a  rifle,  can  be 


87 

taught  to  sight*  down  the  inside  of  the  barrel  of  a  microscope.  Always, 
in  some  one  specimen  at  least,  there  will  be  discovered  live  embryo- 
nic worms  just  emerging  from  their  shells,  wriggling  about  the  micro- 
scopic field.  Leaders  of  public  opinion  at  once  become  zealous  con- 
verts. The  wealth  of  conviction  with  which  one  of  these  old  weather- 
beaten  dubitists,  straightening  his  full  length  after  inspecting  these 
tiny  varmints  that  have  come  from  his  own  person:  "Wall!  I'll  be 
durned!  I  never  knowed  I  were  a  durnei  snake-hole,"  indicates  a 
revolution  in  the  inner  man,  and  the  unbeliever  is  transformed  into  a 
willing  follower.  And,  like"  his  fellow  Anglo-Saxons  everywhere, 
when  he  has  taken  the  medicine  which  was  freely  given  him  and  finds 
subsequently  that  he  has  been  harboring  countless,  tiny  leeches,  that 
had  been  sucking  his  blood  and  his  vitality,  he  is  seized  with  the 
missionary  spirit,  and  goes  forth  to  bring  his  neighbors  and  relatives 
that  they  too  may  find  relief.  Almost  100,000  were  treated  during  this 
great  campaign.  Thousands  of  these  were  permanently  cured.  Hun- 
dreds were  redeemed  from  utter  worthlessness  and  hopelessness  here 
and  hereafter.  At  least  two  brigades  of  the  American  Army  which 
helped  to  free  the  world  for  democracy  and  set  the  stage  from  which  a 
parliament  of  nations  will  recognize  the  rights  of  all  mankind  were 
physically  qualified  during  this  work  to  take  their  places  as  soldiers, 
and,  now  returning,  to  proudly  resume  their  places  as  citizens. 

But  this  section  and  this  campaign  have  taught  us  one  lesson, 
which  we  must  all  appreciate  if  we  are  to  make  real  progress  in  Ken- 
tucky, that  health  is  but  one,  even  if  the  most  important  one,  of  the  re- 
quisites of  efficiency.  Recall  for  a  moment  the  M s  and  remember 

that  for  a  year  after  they  were  cured  of  disease  they  were  but  husky 
brutes.  It  was  only  after  they  were  shown  how  to  work  that  they  be- 
came efficient,  and,  subsequently,  productive  citizens.  What  we  must 
have  is  an  educational  system  which  will  put  in  their  proper  propor- 
tions and  place  a  proper  value  upon  not  culture  alone  as  at  present 
but  culture  and  agriculture,  health  and  roads,  the  civil  government  of 
the  world  and  the  Divine  government  of  mankind — will  develop  all 
these  things  into  the  warp  and  woof  of  every  childish  nature  so  that 
each  of  them  will  know  how  to  do  his  job  well,  whatever  that  job  is; 
will  know  how  to  enjoy  and  help  control,  and  defend,  if  need  be,  our 
freedom  and  our  country;  will  be  taught  enough  of  the  sciences  and 
the  arts  to  appreciate  his  '^own  work  and  to  realize  the  necessity  of 
that  of  his  fellowmen;  will  be  shown  how,  and  then  taught  to  work 
to  improve  the  environment  in  which  his  fathers  learned  to  be  free- 
men; will  be  trained  to  live  so  that 'he  will  avoid  disabling  disease 
and  acident  himself,  but  so  that  should  either  mishap  overtake  him, 
he  will,  at  all  hazards,  prevent  others  from  contracting  it  from  him. 
He  will  do  those  things  because  they  are  right  and  because  it  is  his 
duty  to  his  country,  to  his  God  and  to  himself  for  him  to  be  efficient. 


88 

I  cannot  consume  enough  of  your  time  to  more*  than  glimpse 
the  application  of  this  plan  to  occupational  diseases  and  to  industrial 
injuries,  and  all  that  large  class  of  diseases  which  produce  not  death 
alone,  but  lingering  inefficiency,  of  which  malaria,  tuberculosis  and 
cancer  are  types. 

How  shall  we  be  organized  for  such  a  nation  wide  campaign? 
How  may  we  substitute  the  State  in  the  place  of  parents  when  the 
latter  are  but  the  empty  semblance  of  the  real  thing?  How  shall 
we  strike  a  balance  between  what  demagogues  howl  about  as  liberty 
and  that  necessary  patriotic  restraint  which  is  essential  if  we  would 
rid  ourselves  of  our  ineffectives?  How  are  we  to  avoid  socialism  and 
preserve  individual  liberty  of  action,  and  yet  avoid  national  inef- 
ficiency? 

I  would  answer  these  queries  by  saying  we  must  have  organiza- 
tion, education,  law  enforcement  and  executive  control. 

To  secure  national  efficiency  we  must  co-ordinate  education  with 
public  health  and  all  these  other  civic  activities  that  go  to  the  making 
of  citizens  out  of  men  and  women.  We  must  have  a  Department  of 
Public  Health  in  Washington,  of  which  our  excellent  Public  Health 
Service  should  be  the  nucleus  and  the  strong  executive  right  arm. 
It  must  have  permanently  attached  to  it  the  various  existing  bureaus 
having  health  functions  which  before  the  war  were  scattered  aimless- 
ly and  at  haphazard,  unguided  and  uncontrolled,  through  various  de- 
partments. It  must  have  laboratories,  modelled  upon  the  splendid 
work  now  being  done  by  the  hygienic  laboratory,  but  greatly  enlarged, 
so  that  the  basic  problems,  such  as  local  health  work,  rural  sanita- 
tion, home  ventilation  and  hundreds  of  others  almost  entirely  neg- 
lected, may  find  solution  through  scientific  research  and  co-operative 
demonstration.  No  stone  may  be  left  unturned  until  the  exact  cause, 
and  then  the  practical  methods  of  prevention  and  relief  have  been 
actually  put  into  the  hands  of  the  people  themselves  through  local 
educational  and  health  agencies.  State  health  departments,  like  head- 
quarters of  army  corps,  would  put  into  execution  those  of  the  plans 
of  the  federal  board  of  strategy,  the  National  Department  of  Health, 
which  would  be  necessary  for  their  differing  peoples. 

The  Kentucky  State  Board  of  Health,  I  am  happy  to  say,  is  now 
built  on  the  best  approved  and  most  modern  lines.  Freed  by  law  and 
by  its  courts  from  partisan  politics,  the  bane  of  health  work  and  the 
paralyzant  of  health  workers  this  country  over;  controlled  and  guided 
by  the  most  democratic  and  yet  the  strongest  medical  organization 
in  any  of  the  states — the  same  organization  which  sent  40%  of  its 
membership  to  care  for  Kentucky  boys  in  the  army,  and  yet,  with  the 
60%  left  at  home  coped  the  most  terrible  epidemic  of  history  in  such 
a  manner  that  Kentucky's  toll  of  death,  though  appalling,  was 
amongst  the  lowest — your  health  department  was  endowed  by  the 
last  General  Assembly  with  all  the  elements  recognized  by  those  who 


89 

know  best  as  requisite  for  real  results.  While  still  hampered  by  a 
small  income,  the  State,  in  its  poverty,  has  given  us  our  proportion 
of  its  income,  and  from  the  operation  of  improved  revenue  laws  and 
thoughtful  and  constructive  consideration  of  the  peoples'  needs  by 
the  leaders  of  thought  at  such  conferences  as  this  and  by  the  people 
themselves,  we  will  be  given  the  balance  needed  for  the  most  r5uc- 
cessful  operation. 

Our  laboratories  will  locate  disease  and  provide  and  distribute 
remedial  and  preventive  sera  and  other  necessary  munitions  which 
will  be  made  universally  available  when  needed,  regardless  of  the 
economic  condition  of  the  individual  or  section  where  needed.  Our 
statistical  bureaus  will  gather  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  causes  of 
sickness  and  death  and  inefficiency,  and  the  federal  department  will 
compile  them  so  that  all  the  people  would  know  where  trouble  was, 
so  that  concentrated  e'ffort  on  the  part  of  all  necessary  agencies, 
Federal,  Red  Cross,  State,  local  and  volunteer,  could  be  focalized  until 
it  be  relieved. 

In  a  democracy,  after  all,  the  most  important  governmental 
agencies  should  be  these  local  ones  which  come  in  closest  contact 
with  the  daily  lives  of  the  people  themselves.  It  is  important  to  re- 
member, however,  that,  while  most  important,  they  are  frequently 
the  least  efficient.  In  the  people  they  have  many  masters,  most  of 
whom  are  too  busy  with  self-interest  to  give  adequate  supervision 
to  their  public  employees.  Our  local  health  departments,  outside 
of  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class,  are  so  organized  that  they  are 
autonomous,  not  dependent  on  local  political  conditions,  empowered 
fully  to  take  whatever  action,  wherever  necessary,  to  prevent  inef- 
ficiency through  ill  health.  In  order  to  do  this  effectively,  however,  the 
fiscal  court  of  each  county  must  declare  it  "a  health  district,  thereby 
creating  a  county  health  department.  They  must  have  a  qualified 
and  responsible  head  who  should  have  been  an  experienced  practicing 
physician,  with  his  necessary  technical  knowledge  of  disease  and  sym- 
pathy with  the  diseased,  specially  trained  in  the  methods  of  preven- 
tive medicine.  This  all-time  health  officer  and  his  necessary  assistants, 
especially  public  health  nurses  and  sanitary  inspectors,  should  have 
a  tenure  of  office  dependent  solely  on  honest  and  economic  administra- 
tion and  diminishing  the  sick  and  death  rate  and  their  consequent 
inefficiency.  These  assistants  should  be  sufficiently  numerous  and 
similiarly  trained  and  qualified,  under  civil  service,  so  they  could 
carry  to  every  individual  in  every  home  on  every  highway,  in  every 
byway,  the  necessary  knowledge  which  means  abundant  life;  so  they 
could  compel  the  negligent  or  unthoughtful  or  the  criminal  to  do  these 
things,  with  the  distinct  purpose  of  such  an  organization  as  will  make 
the  second  case  of  preventable  illness  impossible  and  the  first  case  im- 
probable. Then,  and  not  until  then,  will  the  people  of  Kentucky — 
thoroughly  efficient,  physncaly,  morally  and  mentally  capable  of  use- 


90 

ful  labor — realize  on  their  constitution  contract  with  their  government, 
guaranteeing  them  not  only  in  liberty,  but  in  life  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness. 

"We  raise  no  monument  of  graven  stones 
To  mark  the  spot  where  some  great  battle  raged; 

Where  nation  spoke  to  nation  in  the  tones 
Of  iron  hate  by  crimson  flood  assuaged. 

"No  pillared  hall  of  justice  build  we  here, 
Nor  marble   fane,   nor   house    of   narrow   faith; 

But  firm  and  strong  these  fortress  walls  we  rear, 
To  buttress  out  the  ghastly  hordes  of  death. 

"The  death  that  rides  triumphant  on/the  breeze. 
That  taints  the  crystal  goblet  ere  we  drmk; 

That  brings  the  strong  man  trembling  to  his  knees, 
An^  hurls  its  gasping  victim  o'er  the  brink. 

"We  build  a  knightly  hold  along  whose  halls 
The  white-clad  hosts  of  healing  come  and  go; 

And  from  the  crest  of  battlemented  walls, 
Where  struggling  science  marks  her  ancient  foe. 

"We  give  our  red  cross  banner  to  the  breeze, 

Where  all  the  stricken  myriads  can   see; 
And  in  the  face  of  many-fanged  disease 

We  hurl  the  gauntlet  of  the  strong  and  free." 


Address  by  Mrs.  Helm  Bruce,  Chairman  Kentucky  Division, 
Woman's  Committee,  Council  of  National  Defense. 

Subject:  Woman's  Committee. 

When  America  entered  the  war  in  April,  1917,  as  many  as  one 
hundred  women's  organizations  wrote  to  the  President  offering  help. 
Wonderful  stories  of  what  the  French  and  English  women  had  done, 
had  come  across  the  seas  to  us,  and  we  knew  that  we  could  do  as 
well  if  the  need  were  as-great. 

Mr.  Wilson  summoned  to  Washington  eleven  prominent  women; 
women  who  had  handled  large  organizations,  and  presided  over  large 
assemblies,  and  turned  over  to  them  the  task  of  co-ordinating  the 
women  of  America  into  what  was  to  be  known  as  the  Woman's  Com- 
mittee, Council  of  National  Defense.  This  was  done  by  appointing 
State  Chairmen  who  in  their  turn  were  to  appoint  County  Unit  Chair- 
men or  Township  Chairmen  as  seemed  best  in  the  different  localities. 


91 

The  organization  proved  to  be  entirely  satisfactory  as  a  means  of 
communication  between  the  President,  his  Council  of  Defense  and  the 
women  of  the  country.  Not  only  the  organized  women,  but  individual 
women  in  remote  sections  were  reached  by  the  messages  from  Wash- 
ington in  a  short  space  of  time,  i^  new  dignity  was  added  to  the  posi- 
tion of  women  and  they  felt  it  and  measured  up  to  the  task.  There 
were  in  each  State  w^omen  who  never  caught  the  vision — who  were 
out  of  harmony  with  the  government.  We  had  such  m  Kentucky,  I 
am  sorry  to  say,  and  in  so  far  as  their  influence  extended,  they 
hampered  the  plans  of  the  government;  but  their  number  was  small 
and  the  Kentucky  organization  was  ranked  at  Washington  among  the 
best. 

The  committees  formed  were  to  deal  with  home  problems  during 
the  war.  While  the  sons  and  daughters  were  to  go  over  seas  and 
many  older  men  to  Washington,  the  women  of  mature  years  must 
form  the  home  guard.  They  must  register  for  service;  go  into  the 
homes  and  impress  on  housekeepers  the  necessity  of  saving  food 
and  using  substitutes;  they  were  to  interest  the  children  and  grown 
people  also  in  planting  war  gardens;  they  must  look  after  the  health 
of  the  children  and  see  to  it  that  the  schools  were  not  closed;  they 
were  to  take  an  interest  in  the  women  workers,  especially  those  who 
would  take  the  places  of  men;  they  were  to  help  in  the  liberty  loans, 
they  were  to  see  that  all  communications  sent  to  the  women  from 
Washington  were  distributed  throughout  the  State;  they  were  to  guard 
the  recreation  of  the  young  people,  and  they  were  to  see  to  it  that 
home  charities  did  not  suffer  in  the  midst  of  war  work. 

The  first  request  from  the  Washington  coiiimittee  came  in  the 
form  of  copies  of  the  President's  war  message  which  were  put  into 
the  hands  of  the  drafted  men  when  they  registered.  Our  boys  must 
know  why  they  were  called  to  fight  the  Hun  at  the  very  first  period 
of  their  training  as  soldiers. 

Then  came  the  distribution  of  food  pledges  and  literature,  the 
first  Liberty  Loan,  the  drive  for  25,000  Student  Nurses  to  fill  vacan- 
cies in  military  and  civil  hospitals,  the  carrying  out  of  "Children's 
Year"  planned  by  the  Children's  Bureau,  the  Second  Liberty  Loan, 
and  finally  the  enlistment  of  our  interest  in  the  returning  soldier,  in  his 
surroundings  and  his  job. 

Very  soon  we  found  that  a  manual  must  be  prepared  which  would 
direct  the  many  women  who  called  at  the  State  office  to  ask  what 
they  could  do  to  help  win  the  war.  This  little  manual  was  our  first 
publication  and  served  its  purpose  well.  Later  on  it  was  supplemented 
by  a  larger  one,  prepared  at  Washington,  which  directed  the  energies 
of  the  women  into  wider  fields  of  service. 

Our  next  publication  was  a  war  cook  book  prepared  by  Miss 
Mary  Sweeney.  It  is  a  tremendously  patriotic  little  volume  explaining 
the  use  of  substitutes  for  lard  and  flour  and  sugar,  and  placing  the 


92       ■ 

whole  question  of  food  saving  on  a  par  with  military  service  in  tho 
field.  8,000  copies  of  this  little  book  were  distributed  throughout 
the  State  and  smoothed  the  brow  of  many  a  puzzled  housekeeper 
whose  patriotism  was  being  sorely  tested  in  her  efforts  to  follow  Mr. 
Hoover's  directions,  and,  at  the  same  time,  keep  the  men  of  the 
family  in  a  good  humor.  Dr.  Shaw  won  great  applause  last  spring 
in  her  address  to  the  women  of  the  Council  of  Defense,  when  she 
exclaimed,  'Yes,  Mr.  Hoover,  we  promise  to  use  the  substitutes  and 
make  all  the  mixtures,  if  you  will  see  that  the  men  eat  them." 

The  third  and  last  publication  of  the  Kentucky  Committee  is  a 
pageant  written  by  Miss  Ethel  Allen  Murphy  called  "The  Triumph 
of  Humanity."  It  is  a  beautiful  presentation  of  the  real  meaning  of 
the  war.  We  hope  it  will  be  given  by  every  school  in  the  State.  Our 
children  need  very  much  to  know  the  true  significance  of  the  struggle 
and  may  be  taught  it  by  taking  part  in  the  pageant  better  than  by  any 
written  history. 

Now  that  our  work  is  about  completed  we  feel  that  the  women 
of  the  Kentucky  Division,  Council  of  National  Defense,  are  quite  ready 
for  Community  Council  organization.  They,  better  than  others,  know 
the  ground  that  must  be  covered.  For  two  years  they  have  carried  out 
the  requests  coming  from  Washington  among  their  own  friends  and 
neighbors. 

It  was  during  the  drive  for  student  nurses  that  the  limelight 
was  turned  on  the  lack  of  education  in  our  State.  Kentucky's  quota 
was  700.  We  sent  in,  after  weeks  of  la.bor,  234.  Four  years  of  high 
school  training  was  required  for  entrance  into  military  hospitals,  and 
one  year  for  civilian  hospitals.  It  was  an  interesting  study  of  girl  life. 
There  came  into  the  office  in  Louisville  a  few  girls  who  had  the  nec- 
essary education,  and  were  eager  to  go,  but  could  not  get  the  consent 
of  their  parents;  girls  who  had  substituted  a  business  course  for  high 
school  training;  business  girls  who  would  gladly  have  changed  their 
work  for  nursing  but  who  could  not  afford  to  give  up  the  salary  they 
were  receiving;  girls  whose  best  beloved  had  gone  over  seas,  and 
who  wanted  to  go  too,  and  some  of  the  pitiful  painted  creatures  who 
had  none  of  the  necessary  qualifications.  Meantime  the  County  Unit 
Chairmen  were  busy  in  their  respective  locations  and  were  encounter- 
ing the  same  difficulties.  Our  girls  had  all  the  patriotism  in  the 
world,  but  lacked  the  education  necessary,  or  the  consent  of  parents. 

We  must  remember  in  this  connection  the  vast  number  of  young 
Kentuckians  who  could  not  sign  their  names  when  they  were  drafted 
into  the  service.  A  young  officer  overheard  this  exchange  of  sentences 
between  two  of  our  boys  at  Camp  Taylor.  The  first  boy  had  received 
a  letter  from  some  one  at  home,  and  came  up  to  the  second  one  with 
the  question:  "Can  you  read  writin'?"  "Naw,  I  can't  read  readin',"  was 
the  pathetic  answer.  This  was  multiplied  many  times.  So  it  seems  in 
our  community  work  there  is  nothing  so  important  as  better  educa- 


93 

tion.  These  County  Unit  Chairmen  could  very  easily  be  induced  to 
enter  into  a  friendly  rivalry  for  better  schools,  for  consolidated  schools, 
for  better  roads,  connecting  the  schoolhouse  to  the  home,  and  for  bet- 
ter salaries  for  teachers. 

Then  c^me  the  influenza  epidemic,  and  the  women  of  the  State 
dropped  everything  else  and  grappled  with  this  dreadful  disease.  They 
nursed  the  sick  with  f^ar  in  their  hearts,  but  with  heroic  unselfishness 
—many  of  them  laid  down  their  lives  in  consequence.  I  can  truthfully 
say  that  no  report  I  sent  to  Washington  of  the  work  of  the  Kentucky 
Division  was  given  with  the  same  pride  as  the  short  one  that  went 
saying:  "All  the  work  has  been  stopped.  Our  women  are  nursing  in- 
fluenza." There  was  revealed  to  us  during  these  distressful  days  our 
lack  of  nurses,  and  the  ignorance  of  many  communities  of  the  simplest 
laws  of  sanitation.  The  Woman's  Committee  at  once  formed  the  de- 
termination to  do  something  to  remedy  the  situation,  and  called  on 
the  County  Units  to  appeal  to  local  Red  Cross  Chapters  and  fiscal 
courts  to  add  to  the  State  contribution  and  raise  the  salary  of  at  least 
one  public  health  nurse  in  each  county.  This  work  was  under  way, 
when  the  State  Federation,  through  its  president,  requested  the  priv- 
ilege of  carrying  it  on  and  it  was  so  ordered. 

The  Woman's  Committee  has  been  organized  in  101  counties, 
and  in  the  remaining  19  counties  there  are  food  chairmen  who  would 
represent  the  committee  in  any  community  work  undertaken.  In 
Christian,  McCrac^ten,  Campbell,  Kenton  and  Fayette  counties  the 
organization  is  es^Decially  complete,  and  in  some  remote  mountain 
districts  our  chairman  have  done  valuable  work  by  distributing 
literature  sent  from  Washington  among  the  people.  No  other  organ- 
ization ever  linked  the  women  of  the  State  to  the  Federal  govern- 
ment, no  other  organization  of  women  ever  reached  the  obscure  rural 
woman,  and  made  her  feel  that  she  was  a  part  of  the  great  democracy. 
Lunacy  decreased  among  farm  women  during  the  war  in  one  state 
where  t^e  survey  was  made,  40  per  cent.  I  feel  very  sure  that  the 
literature  so  liberally  supplied  by  the  Government  and  sent  into 
country  homes  by  the  Woman's  Commfttee  had  much  to  do  with  this — 
literature  on  food  topics,  on  child  welfare,  on  patriotic  themes,  etc. 

We  have  sent  out  from  the  State  headquarters  in  Louisville  a 
letter  to  the  County  Unit  Chairmen  explaining  the  very  simple  way 
in  which  the  work  of  this  war  organization  is  being  gradually  turned 
over  to  permanent  organizations  of  women.  Children's  year  closes  April 
1st,  a  year  rendered  almost  futile  in  its  last  two  drives,  "Back  to  the 
School,"  and  "Keep  in  School,"  by  influenza.  As  a  survey  is  now  in 
progress  in  Kentucky  in  the  interest  of  child  welfare  by  the  Child 
Labor  Association,  we  feel  that  our  child  welfare  committee  is  no 
longer  needed. 

The  women  in  industry  committee  has  been  merged  into  the 
Consumers'  League  of  Kentucky,  thereby  greatly  strengthening  that 
organization. 


94 

The  work  of  the  health  and  recreation  committee  should  go  on  in 
each  community  indefinitely.  There  should  be  a  censorship  hoard  in 
every  town,  composed  of  men  and  women  who  would  have  jurisdiction 
over  the  picture  shows,  vaudeville  and  the  public  dance  halls  that  are 
doing  so  much  to  undermine  the  moral  standards  of  America.  Whole- 
some recreation  is  absolutely  necessary.  Why  are  we  willing  to  leave 
so  much  of  it  in  the  hands  of  the  devil?  This  is  a  definite  and  very 
necessary  piece  of  work  for  a  community  council. 

The  only  committee  whase  work  is  incomplete  is  the  American- 
ization-Education Committee,  which  is  now  under  the  leadership  of 
Mrs.  Morris  Gifford  and  Miss  Alexina  Booth.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a 
desire  for  better  educational  institutions  is  in  the  hearts  of  many 
Kentucky  men  and  women  at  this  time.  We  haven't  a  serious  problem 
of  the  foreign  born,  but  our  native  born  boys  and  girls  must  be  taught 
what  it  means  to  be  a  citizen  of  this  great  country,  this  country 
which  has  been  the  refuge  of  those  who  have  been  denied  liberty  in 
their  own  lands,  which  has  been  permitted  to  play  a  magnanimous 
part  in  the  war,  sending  men  and  women  and  food  and  clothing  to 
the  suffering  peoples  of  Europe.  These  children  must  have  better 
schools,  free  from  the  control  of  politicians;  they  must  be  fitted  for 
honorable,  independent  lives.  It  was  not  necessary  to  "stab  the  con- 
sciences" of  women  "broad  awake,"  as  Stevenson  puts  it.  For  many 
years  Kentucky  women  have  studied  her  institutions  and,  denied  the 
vote  for  some  reasons  best  known  to  a  few  Kentucky  men,  have 
pleaded  with  legislatures  for  progressive  measures,  with  some  degree 
of  success. 

One  thing  is  very  sure,  the  war  has  developed  a  new  realization  of 
power  in  women.  Banded  together  in  Council  of  Defense  work — Red 
Cross,  Liberty  Loan  campaigns  and  parades,  they  have  accomplished 
what  seemed  impossible  tasks,  and  the  government  has  recognized  and 
acknowledged  the  share  they  had  in  winning  the  war.  This  great 
army  of  women  is  ready  now  to  throw  its  strength  into  forward  move- 
ments for  better  education,  for  better  public  health  and  for  the  de- 
velopment of  a  more  united  citizenship.  They  want  a  large  share  in 
Kentucky's  development. 


95 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON  SESSION. 

De.  Prank  L.    McVey,    President,    University    of    Kentucky, 

Presiding. 

Address  by  E.  W.  Burr,  District  Counsel  United  States 
Reclamation  Service,  Denver,  Colorado. 

Subject:  ''The  Soldier  on  the  Land." 
Mr.   Chairman,  ladies  and  gentlemen: 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  be  with  you  and  to  take  p^t  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  this  conference.  Nevertheless  I  am  sorry  that  Dr.  Elwood 
Mead  is  not  able  to  be  here.  He  had  made  complete  arrangements 
to  come  to  Lexington,  but  Secretary  Franklin  K.  Lane  insisted  that 
he  remain  in  Washington  for  the  conference  of  governors  now  being 
held  in  the  White  House. 

Dr.  Mead  would  have  been  able  to  have  given  you  a  more  com- 
prehensive view  of  the  soldier  settlement  program  than  I  shall  be 
able  to  do.  He  is  a  man  of  international  experience  and  world-wide 
observation  in  governmental  land  settlement  enterprise. 

Briefly  to  outline  the  plan  proposed  for  the  soldier  on  the  land: 

THE  SOLDIER  SETTLEMENT  PLAN 

The  plan  proposed  is  that  of  the  appropriajtion  by  Congress  of  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  million  dollars  to  secure  land  and  to  construct 
reclamation  projects  of  sufficient  area  so  that  communities  of  not 
less  than  one  hundred  soldiers  and  their  families  may  be  located  on 
each  project.  The  term  "soldier"  is  conveniently  used  to  include 
soldiers,  sailors  and  marines  who  have  served  either  at  bome  or 
abroad  in  the  armed  forces  of  the  nation.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
appropriation  would  provide  homes  for  about  twenty-five  thousand 
families  and  projects  will  be  located  so  far  as  practi'bable  through- 
out the  country. 

THE    NATION'S   LANDED   ASSETS 

As  has  been  remarked  by  Secretary  Lane,  the  part  which  the 
veterans  of  the  American  Civil  War  took  in  the  development  of  the 
great  west  is  one  of  the  epics  of  our  history.  The  great  free  west, 
however,  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past  and  the  present  day  veterans  will 
find  no  land  available  for  men  not  possessed  of  considerable  capital. 

Since  long  before  Rome  found  it  necessary  to  provide  for  her 
legendaries  land  has  been  one  of  the  great  necessities  at  the  close 
of  war. 

There  yet  remain  three  classes  of  landed  assets  which  may  be 
utilized  for  the  soldiers  after  means  for  reclamation  have  been  car- 
ried out.    These  are:  First,  the  arid  and  semi-arid  lands  lying  roughly 


96 

west  of  the  100th  meridian,  reclaimable  by  irrigation;  second,  the 
swamp  and  overflowed  lands  in  the  soutli,  the  Mississippi  Valley,  sev- 
eral of  the  states  bordering  on  the  Great  Lakes,  the  Sacramento  Val- 
ley, in  California,  and  smaller  areas  in  many  parts  of  the  country, 
these  sections  being  reclaimable  by  drainage;  and  third,  the  logged- 
ofr  and  cut-over  areas  to  be  found  in  the  lake  states,  the  south, 
various  parts  of  the  east  and  on  the  Pacific  slope,  reclaimable  by  the 
removal  of  stumps  and  undergrowth. 

There  is  a  fourth  class  of  landed  assets  which  may  be  utilized, 
namely,  lands  now  under  cultivation  but  poorly  tilled  and  susceptible 
under  cooperative  community  methods  of  being  made  highly  pro- 
ductive. These  areas  are-,  many  of  them,  in  large  holdings  and  iu 
many  instances  they  are  owned  by  non-residents  and  farmed  by  ten- 
ants. In  almost  all  parts  of  the  country  and  even  within  fifty  miles 
01  some  of  our  largest  cities  waste,  run  down  or  badly  tilled  lands 
are  to  be  found  and  these  may,  I  am  informed,  frequently  be  purchased 
at  reasonable  prices,  such  that  their  value  to  settlers  under  proper 
management  would  be  many  times  their  price 

The  federal  government  has  been  in  reclamation  work  as  re- 
gards irrigation  since  1902,  and  land  has  been  reclaimed  from  arid 
or  semi-arid  conditions  in  seventeen  western  states  upon  twenty-seven 
projects.  The  settlers  have  never  been  financed  by  the  government 
to  an  extent  greater  than  the  construction  of  the  irrigation  works 
and  the  delivery  of  water  to  individual  tracts.  The  United  States 
has  said  to  them:  "Here  is  tlie  water,  build  your  homes,  level  your 
land  for  irrigation,  provide  yourselves  with  all  the  necessary  build- 
ings, equipment,  tools  and  seed  and  support  your  families  as  best  you 
may  until  you  can  place  your  desert  holdings  upon  a  paying  basis  and 
in  the  meantime  begin  the  repayment  of  the  cost  to  the  United 
States." 

The  result  has  been  that  upon  the  majority  of  the  government 
projects  there  has  been  a  period  of  severe  hardship  and  numbers  ol 
the  original  settlers,  stalwart  and  energetic  as  many  of  them  were, 
have,  in  far  too  many  cases,  been  obliged  to  leave  their  homes  and 
sell  such  improvements  as  they  had  been  able  to  make  to  a  second 
Ol  even  a  third  or  fourth  settler  upon  the  same  tract. 

The  federal  reclamation  work  is  proving  a  splendid  success  and 
the  projects,  many  of  them,  have  already  attained  complete  success, 
v.'liile  the  others  are  rapidly  reaching  similar  achievement.  This  has, 
nevortlieless,  been  at  a  large  cost  in  uneconomic  hardship  and  in  the 
failure  of  many  of  the  original  settlers.  The  difficulty  has  been  that 
men  of  large  financial  ability  generally  preferred  to  seek  homes  in 
more  advanced  communities,  while  men  of  small  means  often  found 
themselves  unable  to  meet  the  financial  burdens  necessary. 


97 

WHAT   SHALL    BE    DONE    FOR   THE   SOLDIERS? 

In  the  main,  the  soldiers  will  have  even  less  financial  means  than 
those  who  sought  homes  upon  the  present  reclamation  projects,  and 
if  the  American  people  are  to  embark  upon  a  soldier  settlement  pro- 
gram, it  is  necessary  for  them  to  give  the  men  a  financial  system 
which  will  permit  of  average  success  and  security  for  the  return  of 
the  funds  invested.  This  means  not  only  long-continued  financial 
backing  upon  an  amortization  plan,  but  it  also  means  that  the  gov- 
ernment must  go  much  further  than  it  has  yet  done  in  financing  the 
s;ettler. 

The  plan  advocated  by  Secretary  Lane,  and  v/hich  has  been  tried 
out  under  the  superintendence  of  Dr.  Mead,  in  Australia  and  Cali- 
fornia, includes  not  only  the  securing  for  the  settlers  of  the  land  and 
the  reclamation  works,  but  also  the  construction  of  dwellings,  out- 
buildings, wells  and  fences,  the  preparation  of  the  land  for  farming 
and  the  actual  stocking  and  equipment  of  individual  farms. 

Such  a  plan  would  put  the  soldier  into  possession  of  a  farm  upon 
which  he  would  be  able  to  make  a  living  approximately  from  the 
very  start.  It  is  proposed  that  repayment  of  the  principal  and  four 
per  cent  interest  shall  be  made  over  an  amortization  period  of  forty 
years  by  means  of  an  annual  payment  of  five  per  cent. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  plan  is  that  the  soldiers  will  be  given 
ample  opportunity  for  work  upon  the  projects  whereby  it  will  be 
possible  for  them  to  secure  money  for  a  payment  down  upon  the 
farm  after  the  projects  have  been  completed.  Opportunities  will  be 
furnished  by  the  necessary  construction  work  from  common  labor 
thru  most  of  the  trades  to  the  highest  engineering  ability,  so  that  it 
will  be  practicable  even  from  the  soldiers  to  require  a  payment 
down. 

The  Australian  colonies  under  similar  financial  plans  have  shown 
a  very  high  degree  of  success  on  the  part  of  settlers;  in  New  South 
Wales,  for  example,  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the  men  have  been  able 
to  make  their  payments  and  even  where  default  was  made  the  gov- 
ernment's  security  proved  ample, 

WHY  ADOPT  A  SOLDIER   SETTLEMENT   PLAN? 

There  are  several  points  of  departure  from  which  the  present 
proposed  government  policy  may  be  considered,  and  if  due  considera- 
tion is  given,  the  result,  I  believe,  is  several  lines  of  thought  con- 
verging to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  exceedingly  desirable  that  a  na- 
tional soldiers'  land  settlement  policy  be  immediately  inaugurated. 
There   is  time  for  but   three  points: 


98 


THE   LABOR   NEED. 


It  would  be  absolutely  trite  to  enlarge  upon  the  unsettling  effect 
of  the  great  war  upon  the  world's  labor  market  or  its  influence 
upon  the  mind  of  laboring  classes  everywhere.  The  comparatively 
brief  experience  of  America  in  the  war  has  somewhat  lessened,  or  pos- 
nibly  delayed,  labor  difficulties  of  this  country,  but  the  readjustment 
period  has  hardly  begun  and  there  are  dangerous  conditions  in  many 
parts  of  the  country. 

It  is  imperative  that  the  government  adopt  wise  meaisures 
v/hereby  the  labor  situation  may  be  successfully  cared  for  during  the 
years  which  may  ensue  before  the  international  adjustment  of  in- 
dustry shall  have  been  effected.  For  this  reason  several  measures 
have  been  introduced  and  advocated  in  Congress  looking  toward  the 
construction  of  federal  public  Vv^orks  and  the  absorption  therein  of 
large  numbers  of  men  of  almost  all  grades  of  skill.  Most  of  these  pro- 
posals have  been  directed  toward  the  building  of  roads  or  other  pub- 
lic works  involving  a  permanent  outlay  of  federal  funds. 

The  soldier  settlement  plan,  however,  contemplates  that  every 
dollar  that  shall  be  expended  will  be  returned  by  the  soldiers  with 
four  per  cent  interest.  The  employment  of  labor  of  many  grades, 
valuable  as  it  is  intrinsically  under  present  conditions,  would  be  much 
more  valuable  in  the  output  which  would  be  realized  as  a  result  of  the 
contemplated  expenditure.  Homes  will  be  made,  citizenship  safe- 
guarded, agricultural  returns  will  be  greatly  increased  and  the 
v/ealth,  prosperity  and  stability  of  the  country  enhanced  without 
any  permanent  outlay  whatever  from  the  federal  treasury. 

THE  AGRICULTURAL   NEED. 

The  thoughtful  men  of  the  country  for  several  decades  have  been 
deploring  the  steady  movement  taking  place  over  the  country  away 
from  the  farms  and  toward  the  cities.  The  percentage  of  the  popula- 
tion living  in  rural  communities  and  that  dependent  upon  agriculture 
for  a  livelihood  has  been  steadily  decreasing.  Moreover,  the  proportion 
of  tenant  farms  to  the  whole  number  of  farms  has  been  steadily 
mounting  while  the  average  per  acre  crops  of  almost  all  staples  con- 
trasts very  poorly  with  the  agricultural  figures  of  other  lands.  In 
spite  of  great  increases  in  population  large  areas  of  land  once  profit- 
ably tilled   have   been   abandoned. 

Two  causes  for  this  unfortunate  development  only  may  be  re- 
ferred to.  One  is  the  arduous  financial  conditions  which  the  farmer 
has  confronted  for  many  years.  The  farmers  in  this  country,  and 
those  who  have  desired  to  become  farmers,  have  had  less  help  from 
the  banking  and  financial  interests  than  similar  classes  in  almost 
any  other  progressive  country  in  the  world.  Moreover,  until .  the 
I'ederal  Farm  Loan  Act  was  passed  they  had  received  practically  no 


99 

assistance  from  the  federal  government.  This  act  affords  a  gr«iat 
measure  of  relief  to  farmers  who  are  able  to  give  first  mortgage  se- 
curity, but  to  those  wh«  desire  to  acquire  homes  no  relief  in  the  main 
is  granted.  Other  nations,  irrespective  of  the  great  war,  have  de- 
veloped progressive  methods  whereby  men  have  been  enabled  to 
acquire  farm  homes  and  meanwhile  make  a  living  for  their  families, 
while  the  United  States  is  lagging  far  behind.  Under  the  plan  pro- 
posed the  United  States  is  preparing  to  provide  for  a  soldier  desiring 
to  farm  a  fiscal  method  comparable  in  point  of  progressiveness  with 
those  of  other  nations  in  so  far  as  the  soldier  is  concerned.  Whether 
such  a  policy  is  necessary  in  general  for  the  nation  it  is  certainly  due 
to  the  soldiers. 

The  other  cause  for  the  drift  to  the  cities,  to  which  I  shall  refer, 
is  the  hardship  of  pioneering  and  the  isolation  of  farm  life,  particu- 
larly in  its  effect  upon  women.  The  time  has  gone  by  when  wives 
will  willingly  live  and  bring  up  their  families  in  isolation  from  other 
homes  and  undergo  the  hardships  which  were  met  in  earlier  days. 
They  insist  upon  living  conditions  for  themselves  and  their  children 
comparable  to  those  in  more  settled  communities.  The  pioneering 
clays  were  romantic  but  the  effect  was  wasteful  in  human  energy 
and  whether  for  bad  or  for  good,  the  pioneering  days  are  evidently 
ever. 

A  part  of  the  plan  of  Secretary  Lane,  and  one  upon  which  he  has 
laid  great  stress  in  his  addresses  to  Congressional  committees  on 
the  soldier  settlement  bill,  is  his  proposal,  if  the  authority  is  granted 
to  him,  to  assist  the  soldier  colonies  to  become  genuinely  progres- 
sive, cooperative  communities  having  a  social  life  of  value  to  men, 
women  and  children.  He  believes  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  the 
old  type  of  isolation  or  the  old  individualism,  but  that  farmers  in 
common  with  men  of  other  callings,  are  fully  entitled  to  the  bejiefits 
of  cooperation  in  their  pleasures  and  in  their  livelihood. 

Community  ownership  of  the  more  expensive  and  less  used  im- 
plements, community  planning  as  to  varieties  of  stock  and  purchasing 
of  necessaries,  community  dairying  and  community  buying  and  mar- 
keting are  within  contemplation.  Moreover,  the  improvement  of 
schools  and  a  better  class  of  local  highways  are  matters  to  which 
Secretary  Lane  has  devoted  his  attention. 

THE  PATRIOTIC  NEED. 

The  nation  could  ill  afford  to  have  the  great  war  end  and  to 
present  to  the  men  who  risked  their  lives  no  exceptional  opportunity, 
in  so  far  as  they  may  desire,  to  secure  homes  upon  the  land.  A 
large  percentage  of  the  men  who  were  brought  into  the  armed  forces 
of  the  United  States  are  from  the  farms  of  the  country  and  will  wish 
to  return  to  farm  life. 


100 

Erery  man  who  secures  a  farm  home  is  a  bulwark  to  American- 
iam  and  not  only  will  he  be  entitled  to  pride  in  the  possession  which 
has  come  to  him  partially  as  a  reward  for  his  services,  but  others 
Avill  be  entitled  to  pride  in  the  fact  that  service  to  the  United  States 
does  not  go  entirely  unrewarded. 

FARMS   VERSUS   PENSIONS. 

And  yet,  at  the  same  time,  this  pride  will  not  be  tinctured  in 
the  slightest  with  any  admixture  of  the  sense  of  dependence  or  of 
undue  help.  Our  soldiers  do  not  desire  that.  The  help  which  is  ex- 
tended is  in  the  nature  of  a  loan — not  a  gift — and  the  soldier-farmer 
is  not  deprived  of  his  initiative  or  his  responsibility  in  the  matter  of 
making  good. 

This  plan  may  seem  to  some  paternalism,  but  compared  with  the 
old  pension  system  it  breathes  the  spirit  of  independence.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  although  it  is  over  fifty  years  since  the  Civil  War 
closed  the  annual  expenditure  for  pensions  runs  in  the  neighborhood 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  million  dollars  annually. 

WHAT   OTHER   NATIONS  ARE   DOING. 

It  is  not  practicable  to  outline  to  you  the  accomplishment  and  the 
proposals  of  other  countries  along  the  line  of  soldier  settlement.  It 
is  sufficient  to  say  that  Great  Britain,  France  and  Italy,  South  African 
Union,  the  Australian  Commonwealth  and  the  individual  Australian 
states,  the  Canadian  government  and  several  of  the  Canadian  states 
and  New  Zealand  all  have  land  settlement  policies  which  they  are 
eiigaged  in  carrying  out  and  which  look  forward  to  the  expenditure 
of  large  sums  of  money. 

In  Australia  the  land  settlement  policy  several  years  antedated 
the  war  and  has  been  entirely  successful.  If  the  United  States  were 
to  embark  upon  a  program  of  expenditure  equal  in  proportion  to  its 
population,  with  that  of  the  Australian  government,  the  proposal  would 
be  to  expend  for  the  soldiers  the  sum  of,  not  one  hundred  million  dol- 
Lirs,  but  four  billion  dollars. 

With  all  the  great  unused  lands  of  the  country,  all  the  latent 
patriotism  which  has  been  aroused  by  the  war,  and  all  our  pride  in 
our  men  in  arms,  it  cannot  be  that  the  American  people  will  be  the 
only  one  of  the  progressive  nations,  great  or  small  among  the  allies, 
which  will  not  expend  or  loan  a  dollar  in  carrying  out  a  national 
soldier  settlement  policy.  Several  American  states  are  already  lead- 
ing the  way,  appropriations  having  been  made  by  some  and  in  others 
provision  for  bond  issues  running  into  several  millions  are  now  auth- 
orized or  awaiting  an  election.  These  laws,  however,  look  forward 
in  the  main  to  cooperation  with  the  United  States  under  the  plan 
now  proposed. 


AMERICAN   GRATITUDE. 

Our  soldiers,  sailors  and  marines  are  certainly  entitled  to  our 
.i^ratitude  andjiave  it  in  abundant  measure  in  our  personal  and  public 
expressions.  This,  however,  will  turn  cold  and  artificial  unless  it  is 
followed  up  with  a  national  policy  somewhat  in  harmony  with  thos'e 
that  are  being  adopted  by  other  English-speaking  governments;  nor 
can  we  expect  any  other  outcome  than  the  loss  of  many  of  our  young 
\eterans  to  other  nations,  whose  words  of  gratitude  are  better  sup- 
ported by  deed  unless  our  national  policy  shall  materilaize. 

Such  a  policy  is  rapidly  materializing  and  this  government  will, 
I  believe,  undertake  a  program  which  will  be  found  sufficient. 


Address  by  Hodman  Wiley,  Commissioner  of  Public  Roads 
for  Kentucky. 

Subject:  ''Good  Roads." 

I  consider  it  a  great  honor  to  be  invited  to  make  a  talk  on 
"Good  Roads"  on  this  occasion,  when  we  are  dealing  with  the  broad 
subjects  which  affect  the  general   welfare  of  this  Commonwealth. 

I  am  indeed  glad  to  know  that  all  sensible  people  of  this  state, 
who  naturally  are  interested  in  its  upbuilding,  have  come  to  realize 
the  fact  that  good  roads  are  necessary  before  it  is  possible  to  have 
much  development.  In  other  words,  tbe  real  development  of  any 
community,  any  county,  any  state,  or  any  nation,  follows  instead  of 
precedirg  the  building  of  roads.  Tlie  history  of  the  world  has  been 
a  history  of  transportation  facilities.  In  the  early  times,  the  Med- 
iterranean served  as  a  means  of  transportation  and  consequently  we 
find  that  civilization  centered  there.  Show  me  a  county  without  good 
roads,  a  state  without  good  roads,  and  I  will  show  you  a  county  or 
a  state  that  is  poor  compared  v/ith  a  county  or  state  of  equal  size 
and  equal  resources  that  has  good  highways. 

Whether  a  nation  is  at  war  or  peace,  roads  are  necessary.  The 
soldiers  on  the  march  must  have  good  roads  in  order  to  make  time 
and  to  save  themselves  from  physical  exhaustion,  and  you  know  that 
a  nation  with  good  highways  is  able  almost  at  a  moment's  notice  to 
send  its  armies  to  the  front.  They  are  necessary  to  send  food,  ammu- 
nition and  reinforcements.  In  this  world  war  from  which  we  have 
just  emerged,  everyone  is  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  allies  never  for 
one  moment  neglected  the  highways.  Thousands  of  engineers  and 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  were  constantly  kept  busy  building 
roads.  Without  quoting  exactly,  it  is  said  that  Napoleon,  at  the  close 
of  his  career,  stated  that  the  roads  that  he  had  given  to  France 
would  prove  to  be  the  greatest  thing  he  had  ever  done.     The  Duke 


102 

of  Wellington,  when  embarking  upon  a  military  campaign,  stated  to 
Ills  superiors,  ''What  we  need,  my  lords,  is  roads,  roads,  roads."  And 
so  with  many  other  noted  men.  Our  great  President  is  a  good  roads 
enthusiast  and  is  in  a  large  measure  responsible  foi»  our  Federal 
Road  Act.  The  same  is  true  of  the  U.  S.  Secretary  of  Agriculture, 
and  of  all  the  cabinet  officers.  Governor  A.  O.  Stanley  is  the  greatest 
good  road  governor  that  Kentucky  has  ever  had.  The  governors  of  all 
the  states  are  now  deeply  interested  in  the  road  question. 

We  find  most  states  ready  and  glad  to  furnish  sufficient  money 
to  build  good  highways. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  dwell  upon  the  advantages  of  good 
roads  before  ^sucji  ,a^  ^enjlightened  audience.  I  would  like  to  tell  you 
somfe  ^fnhe  pVeblepi^  th&t  confront  the  State  Road  Department  of  this 
state,  and  to^  ask  70U  tg  give  us  your  assistance  in  this  great  work. 
///"  Jtr*<i4^'a'}3i)hkelyJ|-mpGp^ible  for  me  or  my  assistants  to  devote 
sufficient  time  to  the  education  of  the  people  of  this  state  on  the 
Question  of  good  roads.  The  major  portion  of  our  time  is  consumed 
in  seeing  that  the  work  is  properly  done,  according  to  accepted  en- 
gineering principles,  and  we  must  rely  on  the  farmer,  the  banker,  the 
statesman,  the  railroad  president,  and  in  fact  men  in  every  walk  of 
Jife,  to  create  good  roads  sentiment.  Why  cannot  the  "Four  Min- 
u-e"  men  start  an  active  campaign  in  every  county? 

We  have  found  that  some  of  the  counties  do  not  believe  a 
good  county  road  engineer  is  necessary.  It  may  be  that  a  few  counties 
now  have  inefficient  men,  but,  for  any  of  the  counties  of  this  state 
the  State  Road  Department  stands  ready  to  recommend  to  them  a  com- 
petent county  road  engineer.  It  is  believed  that  a  man  to  be  a  county 
road  engineer  should  have  both  theoretical  and  practical  experience 
and  good  common  sense.  He  should  be  of  pleasing  personality,  a 
good  handler  of  men,  have  initiative,  diplomacy  and  above  all  things, 
should  be  absolutely  honest.  If  a  m_an  possesses  those  qualifications, 
he  will  make  any  county  a  good  man,  and  work  done  under  his  direc- 
tion will  be  done  in  such  a  way  that  the  people  will  receive  full 
value  for  every  cent  invested,  and  it  would  not  be  very  long  before 
he  would  have  the  absolute  confidence  of  the  entire  people  of  the 
county. 

The  department  recommends  a  man  only  on  one  condition,  that  is: 
We  absolutely  guarantee  to  the  fiscal  court  and  to  the  people  of  the 
county  that  the  one  named  will  fill  their  requirements,  and  we 
allow  the  court  and  !he  people  to  pass  upon  them — to  be  the  sole  judges 
ey  to  whether  or  not  he  is  the  proper  man,  and  they  would  not  in  that 
case  bind  themselves  in  any  way.  If  at  any  time  they  conclude  that 
he  is  not  the  man  for  the  place,  we  will  gladly  relieve  them  of  his 
services  at  a  moment's  notice. 

It  will  be  readily  appreciated  by  all  that  no  department  could 
afford  to  take  such  chances  without  being  fairly  well  assured  that  it 


103 

knows  exactly  what  is  needed  in  any  county.  I  would  like  for  the  peo- 
ple of  this  state  to  carefully  weigh  what  I  have  said.  I  want  to  know 
if  they  could  expect  me  to  do  more  in  the  way  of  securing  com- 
petent men.  I  want  to  know  furthermore  if  they  will  back  me  in 
tl:is  movement.  If  they  do,  it  is  incumbent  upon  them  to  see  that 
such  recommendations  are  put  in  force  and  effect  where  needed.  If 
they  do  not  approve  of  my  plan,  then  I  would  like  for  them  to  tell  me 
freely  and  frankly,  because  we  must  have  the  backing  of  the  people 
ci'  this  state  in  every  road  movement  undertaken. 

Roads  cost  a  great  deal  of  money.  It  is  now  necessary  to  build 
a  higher  type  of  road  than  was  built  even  a  few  years  ago  because 
traffic  is  constantly  changing  and  is  increasing  from  year  to  year. 
It  is  cecessary  to  allow  a  good  factor  of  safety  to  take  care  of  the 
probable  increase  in  the  volume  and  kinds  of  traffic.  Under  the 
present  road  law,  the  counties  take  the  initiative  in  everything, 
concerning  road  matters.  In  the  first  place,  the  county  applies  for 
state  aid,  designates  the  roads  to  be  improved,  advertises  and  lets 
the  contracts  and  starts  work  whenever  it  pleases.  It  will  be  easily 
appreciated  that  one  county  will  want  a  road  built  in  one  direction  and 
another  county  in  another  direction,  and  that  there  will  be  no  con- 
certed plan  to  build  through  roads.  The  fact  will  also  be  realized 
that  with  the  small  amount  of  the  state  road  fund  and  the  cost  of 
building  roads  in  many  sections  of  our  state,  and  the  small  amount 
of  money  at  the  disposal  of  the  fiscal  court  in  the  various  counties, 
that  it  will  require  several  decades  before  we  will  be  able  to  have 
what  might  be  termed  a  good  system  of  roads  in  every  county  in  this 
state.  I  want,  therefore,  at  this  time,  to  most  heartily  endorse,  in 
general,  the  plan  suggested  by  Prof.  D.  V.  Terrell,  of  this  University, 
viz.: 

That  there  should  be  designated  by  the  state  legislature  a  state 
highway  system  which  would  comprise  all  the  inter-county  seat  roads 
in  the  state;  these  roads  to  be  built  and  maintained  by  the  state  and 
the  national  government.  The  fact  is  appreciated  that  it  would  mean 
an  enormous  mileage  of  roads,  but  I  am  free  to  say  that  I  do  not  be- 
lieve any  other  system  will  satisfy  the  people  of  this  state,  and  the 
inter-county  seat  system  will  guarantee  that  every  county  will  re- 
ceive the  same  consideration,  no  favoritism  being  possible. 

It  might  also  be  necessary  to  designate  a  few  other  main  market 
roads  because  it  has  been  found  that  in  some  counties  a  few  of  the 
roads  were  more  important  than  the  inter-county  seat  roads,  but  that' 
is  a  matter  of  detail  and  can  be  worked  out  to  the  satisfaction  of 
every  one  concerned. 

Especially  do  I  endorse  this  plan  at  this  time  because  Congress 
has  only  recently  amended  the  Federal  Aid  Road  Bill,  so  as  to  vastly 
increase  the  apportionment  to  the'  states.  In  ord«r  for  the  state  to 
secure  enough  money  to  properly  carry  on  the  work,  I  would  suggest 


104 

that  there  be  levied  a  state  roadjax  of  20c  on  the  $100.00  and  the 
automobile  license  fees  be  doubled.  With  a  two  billion  assessment  the 
20c  levy  v^ould  bring  in  about  four  million  dollars,  and  I  believe  if 
the  automobile  license  fees  v^^ere  doubled  that  source  would  pro- 
duce practically  a  million  dollars,  which  would  give  a  state  road  fund 
of  about  five  million  dollars  per  annum.  I  am  aware  of  the  fact  that 
the  plan  I  Lave  suggested  could  r.ot  be  put  into  effect  until  the  year 
1D21,  because  if  passed  at  the  next  session  of  the  legislature,  it  would 
be  advisable  to  wait  one  year  in  order  to  collect  the  fund  for  1920, 
because  one  year's  state  fund  should  be  available  before  starting 
work  in  order  to  be  able  to  pay  for  the  work,  and  besides  it  would 
require  about  a  year  to  prepare  plans  for  work  on  such  an  enormous 
S4|^le. 

I  believe  there  are  many  advantages  to  the  scheme  which  has 
been  suggested.  In  the  first  place,  I  believe  the  people  of  this  state  are 
ready  and  willing  to  furnish  money  to  build  roads,  provided  they  are 
reasonably  assured  that  the  money  will  be  judiciously  expended.  I 
would  not  suggest  a  larger  amount  because  I  am  free  to  say  to  you 
that  I  do  not  believe,  at  present,  with  the  small  number  of  con- 
tractors in  this  state,  and  the  comparatively  small  number  of  trained 
engineers  and  inspectors,  that  the  State  Road  Department  could 
judiciously  handle  much  more  money  than  v/ould  be  raised  by  the 
plan  outlined,  bat  we  can  handle  that  much  and  any  less  amount 
Viill  be  insufficient. 

I  consider  it  very  superior  to  a  tond  issue,  because  by  the  pro- 
posed method  every  cent  would  go  to  building  roads  and  not  to  the 
paying  of  int;erest  or  retiring  of  bonds.  The  people  would  have  the 
further  privilege  that,  if  they  v/ere  not  satisfied  with  the  law,  it  could 
be  repealed;  \vhereas,  if  they  v/ere  saddled  with  a  bond  issue  and 
sdtaething  went  wrong,  there  would  be  no  recourse  and  it  is  well  that 
the  public  should  always  have  some  recourse  in  all  matters  where  their 
money  is  at  stake. 

A  large  per  cent  of  the  money  would  be  spent  both  under  state 
and  federal  supervision,  and  in  all  events,  every  cent  expended  would 
be  ur.der  engineering  supervision,  and  everybody  knows  at  this  time 
that  every  feature  of  road  building  is  an  engineering  problem.  Every 
cent  would  be  accounted  for,  the  proper  type  of  roads  would  be  built 
to  suit  the  traffic,  road*s  v/ould  be  properly  located  and  properly 
maintained  the  very  day  they  were  completed. 

For  the  fiscal  year  1919  Kentucky  will  receive  from  the  federal 
government  $1,562,265.00;  for  the  fiscal  year  1920,  $1,865,044.00;  for 
the  fiscal  year  1921,  $1,953,750.00. 

The  fiscal  year  1921  marks  the  end  of  the  present  Federal  Aid 
Road  Act,  but  none  oT:  us  believe  that  the  federal  government  will 
stop  giving  aid  for  the  building  of  roads  at  that  time,  but  we  do  be- 
lieve the  apportionment  will  be  largely  increased. 


105 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  proposed  scheme  could  not  he  put 
into  effect  before.  1921,  and  that  wg  have  several  million  dollars 
federal  aid  fund  that  must  be  taken  up  by  the  state  before  that  tim^ 
it  is  necessary  for  us  in  the  meantime  to  make  provision  to  take  care 
ot  the  federal  aid  which  has  been  allotted,  or  will  be  allotted  to  this 
state,  or  else  the  federal  government  will  redistribute  it  to  other 
states. 

The  counties  in  Kentucky  have  not  sufficient  money  at  present  to 
p3'operly  do  federal  aid,  state  aid  or  even  county  work,  and  we  are 
strongly  advocating  that  the  20e  road  tax  be  immediately  voted  in 
every  county.  Our  present  law  alloM^s  a  fiscal  court  to  authorize  such 
an  election.  To  date,  seventeen  counties  have  already  voted  the  tax, 
and  since  January  1st,  of  this  year,  seventeen  counties  have  called 
the  election  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  many  more  counties  will 
authorize  an  eleciion  in  the  next  month  or  so,  and  I  want  to  strongly 
impress  upon  each  and  every  man  the  fact  that  a  tax  for  roads  is 
purely  an  investment  and  that  bad  roads  cost  more  than  good  roads. 
AVhenever  you  have  bad  roads,  you  pay  a  tax  which  is  far  in  excess 
of  a  tax  for  good  roads.  No  county,  and  no  state  that  has  invested 
money  in  roads  would  be  v/illing  to  give  up  those  roads  provided  the 
money  they  cost  was  returned.  George  Ade  has  well  said:  "Good  roads 
cost  money,  but  show  me  a  community  which  has  invested  in  hard 
roads,  such  as  can  be  used  at  all  times  of  the  year,  and  which  now 
would  be  willing  to  go  back  to  the  mud  holes  for  a  cash  considera- 
tion." I  think  the  fact  that  the  people  would  not  be  willing  to  sell 
the  roads  for  v/hat  they  cost  is  just  proof  that  roads  are  a  good  in- 
vestment. 

I  would  like  to  ask  every  man  here  to  use  all  of  his  influence  to 
help  us  in  this  movement.  Explain  it  to  your  neighbors  in  such  a 
v/ay  that  there  will  be  no  trouble  in  carrying  the  20c  tax  in  any 
county  where  an  election  is  called. 

The  plan  which  I  have  endorsed  is  one  from  which  I  believe 
good  results  will  be  obtained.  I  am  suggesting  it  at  this  time  because 
I  think  the  people  should  have  time  to  think  it  over  carefully  between 
now  and  the  time  the  legislature  convenes,  and  if  any  man  has  a 
better  scheme,  we  want  to  hear  trom  him  and  adopt  it  because  we 
want  the  best  thing  possible  for  our  state.  I  would  be  glad  if  this 
were  given  the  widest  publicity  in  order  that  everybody  can  be  heard 
on  the  subject. 

As  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned,  it  is  a  great  deal  easier 
for  me  to  attempt  to  do  a  little  work  than  a  large  amount,  but  I  am 
not  content  to  sit  idle  and  see  our  state  suffer  for  the  need  of  good 
roads,  and  I  intend  just  as  long  as  I  am  in  office  to  do  everything  in 
my  power  to  try  to  get  good  roads  in  every  county  in  this  state,  and  I 
ask  the  earnest  support  of  every  man,  woman  and  child  who  must 
be  interested  in  the  state  we  all  love — Kentucky. . 


106 

Address  by  Charles  F.  Huhlein,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Subject:  ''Commercial  Organizations." 

Kentucky  problems  and  their  solution  have  been  very  ably  dis- 
cussed by  speakers  who  have  preceded  me  in  this  notable  conference. 
The  situation,  the  needs  and  remedies  in  such  important  departments 
of  our  public  affairs  as  education,  health,  patriotism,  recreation  and 
good  roads  have  been  presented  in  such  a  forceful  way  that  we  are 
all  stirred  to  action.  Especially  interesting  and  inspiring  were  the 
addresses  on  community  organization.  It  seems  to  me  that  most  of 
the  work  that  needs  to  be  done  along  the  lines  just  mentioned  can  be 
promoted  and  largely  accomplished  through  commercial  organizations. 
Several  decades  ago  State  Commercial  and  Development  Conventions 
were  held  in  Kentucky  every  few  years.  At  these  conventions  the 
principal  themes  of  discussion  centered  around  "our  great  natural  re- 
sources and  geographical  advantages,"  and  the  resolutions  usually 
adopted  called  for  the  advertising  of  these  resources  to  the  world, 
and  invited  the  outside  world  to  bring  in  capital  and  immigration 
to  help  develop  the  State.  Good  seed  was  sown  and  successive  con- 
ventions resolved  more  and  more  on  practical  methods  of  self-help. 
Now  various  trades,  such  as  the  manufacturers,  bankers,  coal  mine 
operators,  lumbermen,  and  retail  hardware  and  implement  dealers  have 
their  State  wide  organizations,  holding  annual  conventions.  About 
fifteen  of  the  larger  cities  and  towns  each  have  a  local  business  men's 
organization  and  it  is  of  the  great  opportunities  for  usefulness  of  these 
that  I  wish  to  speak. 

STATE  AND  LOCAL  ORGANIZATIONS. 

As  a  result  of  meetings  of  the  State  Tax  Reform  Association 
and  of  previous  State  Commercial  and  Industrial  Conventions,  a 
State  Chamber  of  Comm.erce  was  formed  and  Mr.  Robert  F.  Vaughan 
was  elected  president,  at  Frankfort,  in  February,  1917.  At  that  time 
about  thirty-five  local  organizations  participated,  but  due  to  the  de- 
mands of  war  activities  in  every  direction  which  held  the  center  of 
interest,  insufficient  revenues  and  various  distracting  influences,  many 
of  these  are  not  active  at  this  time,  However,  all  of  these  organiza- 
tions were  a  nucleus  and  powerful  factors  in  supporting  the  several 
war-winning  organizations  and  patriotic  campaigns  of  1917-1918.  Now 
that  the  demands  for  strictly  war-winning  activities  have  ceased  it 
is  likely  that  local  commercial  organizations  that  have  been  dormant 
will  be  revived. 

COUNTY  SEAT   ORGANIZATIONS. 

Most  of  our  county  seats  are  now  without  a  business  men's  organ- 
ization. Every  one  of  them  should  have  one.  Many  of  them  have  had 
such  an  organization,  but  allowed  them  to  die  from  various  causes, 


107 

such  as  lack  of  interest,  lack  of  team  work  or  co-operative  spirit,  bad 
management,  lack  of  leadership,  attempting  too  many  things  at  one 
time,  petty  politics  and  small  jealousies. 

The  following  letter  from  an  average  Kentucky  county  seat  indi- 
cates some  of  the  many  opportunities  and  needs  for  a  commercial 
club,  which  usually  is  the  simplest  form  of  local  business  men's  organ- 
ization: 

"At  the  present  time  there  are  two  communities  within  four 
miles  of  each  other,  making  efforts  to  establish  loose  leaf  tobacco 
houses.  The  county  does  not  need  more  than  one,  and  a  business 
men's  legaue  or  commercial  club  could,  if  composed  of  the  right  men, 
harmonize  the  petty  jealousies  that  are  causing  a  separation  of  these 
two  communities,  and  induce  them  to  combine  their  efforts  to  the 
advantage  of  all.  We  have  another  disturbance  here  in  the  telephone 
business  in  which  'country  lines  are  threatening  to  withdraw  from 
the  county  exchange.  This  question  could  be  dealt  with  satisfactorily 
and  the  parties  brought  together  -by  a  commercial  club.  A  large 
amount  of  energy  and  money  that  are  dissipated  in  individual  effort 
could  be  concentrated  and  made  to  be  of  benefit  to  the  county  through 
work  of  a  live  commercial  club.  The  club  should  be  able  to  render 
assistance  to  the  town  governments  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  pub- 
lic welfare,  public  improvements,  etc.,  not  as  a  governing  body,  but 
in  an  advisory  capacity,  for  the  reason  that  many  city  and  county 
officials  fall  into  certain  grooves,  or  routines,  and  the  club,  not  being 
directly  connected  with  the  governing  body,  is  able  to  see  and  sug- 
gest better  methods,  improvements,  etc.  Of  course,  in  order  to  be 
eft'ective,  the  club  must  consist  of  intelligent,  wide-awake  men  and 
women." 

GOOD    ACCOMPLISHED. 

In  every  town  where  commercial  clubs  were  allowed  to  die  out 
it  is  stated  that  they  had  accomplished  much  good,  usually  nearly  all 
that  they  had  earnestly  and  unitedly  worked  for;  regret  is  expressed 
that  the  club  was  not  kept  alive  and  the  hope  expressed  that  the 
community  spirit  may  be  awakened  and  a  business  men's  organiza- 
tion revived. 

WHAT    A    COMMERCIAL    CLUB    CAN    DO. 

A  business  men's  organization  in  every  county  seat  and  in  every 
small  town  could  find  plenty  of  useful  work  to  justify  its  existence. 
If  it  could  not  do  bigger  things  it  could  at  least  provide  a  rest  room 
for  the  farmer's  wife  and  children  while  in  town  shopping;  make  the 
town  a  more  attractive  place  for  the  farmer  and  his  family  to  visit 
or  trade  in;  a  better  place  for  automobile  parties  to  stop  and  spend 
their  money. 


108 


CLUB    FOR    COMMUNITY    ORGANiZATION     AND    PROSPERITY. 

The  club  could  be  a  clearing  house  for  presenting,  testing  and  ap- 
plying the  best  ideas  of  the  l>est  people  for  community  organization 
and  welfare.  Better  schools,  proper  salaries  for  teachers,  the  roads, 
agricultural  development,  farm  and  farm  labor  problems,  the  town 
loafer,  law  and  order,  in  fact  the  'whole  range  of  topics  affecting  the 
civic  and  commercial  welfare  of  town  and  county  could  be  discussed 
and  handled  to  the  benefit  of  the  entire  community.  The  various  depart- 
ments of  our  Goverment  at  Washington,  our  Agricultural  Department 
at  Frankfort,  and  the  University  of  Kentucky  at  Lexington,  are  con- 
stantly issuing  immensely  valuable  bulletins  of  great  interest  and 
value  to  every  citizen.  These  might  be  discussed  with  special  refer- 
ence to  their  adaptability  to  the  respective  communities.  Farmers 
should  be  members  of  the  commercial  club  along  with  the  merchants 
and  other  town  peole.  A  wonderful  field  is  open  to  all  citizens,  men 
and  women,  to  link  up  the  interests  of  town  and  county  by  community 
organization  for  the  mutual  good  of  all  interests  of  each  and  every 
county.  A  number  of  counties,  county  seats,  towns  and  villages  in  our 
State  are  sadly  behind  those  of  similar  population  in  respect  to  agri- 
culture, business  and  social  conditions.  Community  uplift  through 
community  organization  is  the  great  need.  A  commercial  club  is  the 
best  means  to  do  the  work. 

THINGS   TO    DO. 

Tn  general,  in  response  to  various  in<iuiries,  T  would  suggest  the 
ioliov.ing  things   to   do: 

Have  a  simple  organization. 

Make  team  work  the  watchword. 

Have  a  good  lookout  comniittes,  to  jnc  f  iil  a  practical  line  of 
woi'k. 

Take  time  to  investigate  carefully 

Consider  all  sides  of  a  proposition  before  adopting  resolutions  or 
plans. 

One  thing  at  a  time  is  apt  to  beat  too  many  things  tried  at  once. 

A  prepared  program  with  short  speeches. 

Give   every   sensible   man   or  woman   a   chance. 

Aim  to  make  your  town  the  best  of  its  size  rather  than  the  largest 
in  the  world. 

Bring  to  the  front  and  advertise  the  conditions  and  things  your 
town  and  county  excel  in. 

Make  a  survey  of  agricultural,  industrial,  civic  and  living  con- 
ditions of  your  town  and  county. 

Find  out  what  you  have,  what  you  lack  and  where  you  are. 

Give  the  young  man  a  chance  and  everybody  a  square  deal. 

Encourage  home  talent. 

J^evelop  home  talent  and  home  industries. 


109 

"DON'TS,"    OR    THINGS    NOT    TO    DO. 

Don't   form  too  elaborate  or  complicated  an  organization. 

Don't  undertake  too  many  things  at  one  time. 

Don't  split  up  and  scatter. 

Don't  meet  too  often  without  any  definite  program  or  business. 

Don't  let  politics  or  jealousies  creep  in. 

Don't  decide  things  without  careful  investigation  and  full  in- 
formation. 

Don't  overlook  the  old  fogies.  Bring  'em  in  and  make  young  en- 
thusiasts out  of  them. 

Don't  keep  the  same  people  in  office  or  on  committees  too  long. 
Put  some  new  people  to  the  front  every  year. 

Don't  be  discouraged  if  your  progress  is  slow.    Stick  to  it. 

Don't  draw  a  circle  that  will  shut  anybody  out,  but  draw  a  circle 
that  will  take  every  patriotic  American  citizen  in — man  or  woman, 
young  or  old.  ^ 

INVITATION. 

The  Louisville  Board  of  Trade  and  doubtless  also  any  of  the 
business  men's  organizations  of  the  larger  Kentucky  towns  will  gladly 
send  a  committee  to  any  town  in  the  State  to  help  form  a  commercial 
club  or   similar  organization. 


Address  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Breckinridge,  Princii)al  of  Lou- 
isville Normal  School. 

Subject:  ''The  School  as  an  Element  of  Community  Organi- 
zation." 

Dr.  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  President  of  Columbia  University, 
says  in  a  recent  address:  "The  war  has  definitely  helped  us.  It  has 
shortened- by  many  years,  perhaps  by  a  generation,  the  path  of  pro- 
gress to  clearer,  sounder,  and  more  constructive  thinking  as  to  edu- 
cation, its  processes  and  its  aims.  We  have  been  living  in  an  era 
of  reaction  that  has  masqueraded  as  progress,  and  we  have  been 
witnessing  energetic  acts  of  destruction  whose  agents  sang  the  songs 
and  spoke  the  language  of  those  who  build." 

With  Dr.  Butler's  last  sentence  I  can  scarcely  agree.  That  we 
have  today  a  clearer  vision  of  Mhat  the  schools  should  accomplish 
than  v/e  had  before  we  entered  the  war  there  is  no  doubt;  at  the 
same  time,  any  student  of  education  will  agree,  I  think,  that  in  the 
last  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  very  definite  progress  has  been  made  in 
our  schools.  Dr.  Butler  himself  admits  that  "notwithstanding  the 
sharp  criticism  of  the  American  school  and  college  education  in  the 
past  two  decades,  the  American  people,  and  particularly  the  American 


110 

soldiers,  showed  themselves  capable  of  the  most  striking  accomplish- 
ments in  the  shortest  time  through  the  possession  of  almost  unequaled 
initiative,  resourcefulness  and  zeal  for  service." 

The  questions  arising  then  are:  What  are  the  schools  accomplish- 
ing today?  And  how  might  they  accomplish  more? 

As  Dr.  Snedden  has  said,  in  the  school  system  of  Gary,  Indiana, 
we  have  an  example  of  the  theory,  at  least,  of  what  the  schools 
should  accomplish.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  discuss  here  the  extent  to 
which  the  aims  of  the  Gary  idea  are  realized  in  practice.  The  work- 
ing out  of  an  experiment  takes  time,  and  this  one  is  new.  One  of  the 
striking  features  of  this  system  is  that  all  of  the  school  plant  is 
used  all  of  the  available  time.  The  program  of  the  average  city 
school  provides  approximately  one  thousand  hours  a  year  for  school 
and  over  three  thousand  a  year  for  play  in  the  streets.  Their  propor- 
tion ot  street  and  school  time,  according  to  Superintendent  Wirt, 
should  be  reversed.  That  an  expensive  plant  should  be  idle  during 
all  of  Saturday  and  Sunday  while  street  and  alley  time  is  undoing 
the  good  work  of  the  school  is  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  of  this  clear- 
sighted educator.  That  the  plant  should  be  idle  is  one  loss,  he 
argues,  and  that  work  already  done  should  be  undone  is  further  loss. 
The  Gary  schools  are  also  used,  to  a  large  extent,  by  adults  in 
the  evening  and  Saturday  classes.  At  such  times  the  laboratories  and 
shops  are  used  freely  by  druggists,  mechanics,  in  fact  by  all  those  who 
wish  to  extend  their  education  through  study  and  experimentation. 
I  was  told  several  years  ago  when  I  was  there  that  there  were  more 
adults  enrolled  in  the  evening  and  Saturday  classes  than  there  were 
children   enrolled  in  the  day  school. 

Another  very  commendable  feature  of  the  Gary  schools  is  the 
attempt  made  to  unify  all  the  agencies  that  have  a  part  in  a  child's 
education.  We  find  the  public  library,  the  church,  industrial  estab- 
lishments, the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Boy  Scout  work  all  drawn  into  active 
co-operation  with  the  school. 

Much  attention  is  given  to  physical  education.  It  has  been  found 
that  waste  due  to  ill  health  and  lowered  vitality  is  to  a  great 
extent  eliminated  by  employing  a  large  portion  of  the  pupil's  time 
in  outdoor  play  under  playground  teachers  especially  trained  for  the 
work.  The  playgrounds  are  also  used  freely  by  the  adults;  in  fact, 
the  school  is  really  the  recreation  center  for  the  city. 

While  I  have,  only  touched  upon  the  "high  spots"  in  the  Gary  sys- 
tem, I  think  you  can  see  that  back  of  the  plan  is  the  idea  of  making 
the  school  an  important  center  for  the  activities  of  the  community. 
In  answer  to  our  Government's  call  to  mobilize  the  boy  and  girl 
power  of  the  nation,  and  to  arouse  the  patriotic  spirit  in  every  com- 
munity came  the  "community  center"  movement.  This  was  an  out- 
growth of  a  peace  time  movement  variously  known  as  the  "social 
center,"  "civic  center,"  or  "neighborhood  center,"  and  which  had  as 
i'ts  main  purpose  the  "wider  use  of  the  school  plant."  ^ 


Ill        \ 

A  community  center  is  defined  as  "a  getting  together  of  neigh- 
bors for  the  common  weal."  In  every  community  there  is  a  school 
building  and  a  playground,  or  equipment  of  some  kind  which  with 
little  expense,  in  most  cases,  can  be  made  useful  for  many  adult  ac- 
tivities of  a  social  and  educational  nature.  Such  a  use  of  a  public 
school  house  seems  only  fair,  especially  for  those  who  have  had  to 
stop  school  to  earn  a  living  and  would  otherwise  have  no  opportunity 
for  further  education. 

During  the  war  the  community  center  and  the  schools  held  the 
"last  line  of  defense"  unbroken  by  their  canning  clubs,  Red  Cross 
work,  war  gardens,  and  many  other  war  activities.  Mr.  Eugene  Gib- 
ney,  General  Community  Center  Secretary  for  New  York  City,  said 
of  the  community  center  last  summer  that  it  had  "risen  above  the 
field  of  recreation,  play,  and  fine  art,  and  had  encroached  on  the 
domain  of  family  life,  social  intercourse,  political  association  and 
education." 

One  of  the  important  functions  of  a  community  center  is  re- 
creation. To  the  ninety  per  cent  of  our  children  who  never  reach 
the  high  school,  but  who  leave  school  between  the  ages  of  14  and 
16  to  go  to  work,  the  community  center,  with  its  various  literary 
programs,  concerts,  dramatics,  pictures,  dances,  games,  etc.,  makes  a 
strong  appeal.  These  adolescent  boys  and  girls,  like  the  child,  rep- 
resent "a  power  eager  to  be  used  but  easy  to  be  abused." 

The  community  center  could  hardly  be  left  out  of  any  modern 
educational  program,  and  yet  we  should  remember  that  upon  the 
school  falls  the  responsibility  of  its  ultimate  success,  i.  e.,  to  give 
to  the  child  an  appreciation  of  the  social  and  cultural  advantages 
that  will  come  to  him  as  an  adult  member  of  a  community  center. 
In  other  words,  the  degree  of  interest  which  adults  show  in  out  of 
school  activities  of  the  community  center  type  depends  upon  the 
place  which  these  activities  held  in  their  daily  program  as  school 
children.  A  boy,  for  example,  who  leaves  school  with  an  appreciation 
of  the  value  of  physical  education  will  be  apt  to  lend  his  support  in 
later  years  to  any  movement  that  has  as  its  purpose  the  development 
of  greater  physical   efficiency. 

A  pertinent  question,  therefore,  and  one  closely  related  to  the 
community  center  movement,  is  what  are  the  schools  over  the  country 
doing  to  develop  into  efficient  citizens  the  "twenty  million  children 
in  the  public  schools  of  America  today?"  What  training  are  these 
children  receiving  for  vocational  efficiency?  for  physical  efficiency? 
for  leisure  occupations?  These  are  questions  that  are  of  vital  im- 
portance to  all  school  administrators  and  to  makers  of  school  curricula. 
And» these  questions  are  as  purely  social  as  they  are  educational,  for 
many  of  the  social  problems  have  grown  out  of  the  fact  that  the 
school  has  failed,  either  to  meet  the  individual  needs  of  children,  or 
to  give  that  all  round  training  necessary  to  enable  them  to  adapt 
themselves  to  their  places  in  society. 


112 

We  liave  long  sii^ce  been  forced  to  give  up  the  idea  that  the 
education  planned  for  the  average  child  is  adequate  for  all  children. 
To  meet  the  needs  of  the  many  classes  the  school  program  has  ex- 
panded to  include  the  vocational  schools  and  special  types  of  schools 
of  many  kinds.  "In  any  survey  of  civilized  conditions  the  most  obvious 
thing,"  says  Dr.  Bobbitt,  "is  that  men  and  women  must  w^ork.  The 
schools  should,  therefore,  deal  with  every  normal  child,"  he  con- 
tinues, "on  the  theory  that  when  adulthood  is  reached  he  must  earn 
his  living." 

Today  the  more  progressive  school  systems  are  striving  to  give 
to  all  classes  a  training  that  will  enable  them  to  make  a  living  at 
some  definite  kind  of  work.  Many  of  our  boys  and  girls  in  Louisville, 
for  example,  get  a  training  for  their  life  work  at  our  vocational  school 
that  is  better  suited  to  their  needs  than  would  be  the  purely  academic 
high  school  training. 

Closely  associated  with  vocational  training  is  vocational  guid- 
ance. This  movement  is  spreading  rapidly  and  the  school  is  the  logical 
place  for  its  development.  Because  of  long  personal  contact  with 
pupils,  the  school  has  had  better  opportunity  than  any  other  agency  to 
become  acquainted  with  their  abilities,  interests  and  limitations. 
There  is  probably  no  movement  in  educationa  that  will  do  more  to 
eliminate  juvenile  crime  than  vocational  guidance.  To  realize  its 
greatest  effectiveness,  however,  the  vocational  guidance  bureau  should 
have  its  branch  in  the  community  center.  The  adult  often  needs  voca- 
tional guidance  quite  as  much  as  the  immature  boy  or  girl  who  leaves 
the  school  to  go  to  work. 

The  relation  of  vocational  guidance  to  physical  education  is  also 
significant.  As  soon  as  there  is  even  a  tentative  plan  of  the  child's 
future  work  made  by  parent  and  teacher  there  will  immediately  be 
the  question,  is  he  physically  fit?  "It  makes  a  large  difference,"  as 
Dr.  Bobbitt  says,  "whether  the  level  of  vitality  is  maintained  at  fifty 
per  cent  of  potential,  or  at  one  hundred  per  cent."  There  are  many 
cases  where  the  child's  school  experience  makes  little  difference  be- 
cause of  the  physical  condition  prevailing  in  his  home.  Nations  were 
appalled  at  the  extent  of  physical  deficiency  which  was  disclosed  by 
the  recent  war.  It  was  found  among  our  soldiers  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  defects  discovered  could  have  been  prevented  or  re- 
moved by  proper  attention  in  growth. 

The  more  progressive  school  systems  today  provide  medical  in- 
spection, school  lunches,  physical  training,  etc,,  and  yet  we  seem 
hardly  to  have  scratched  the  surface  of  this  most  important  phase 
of  training  for  efficient  citizenship.  It  is  the  current  opinion,  however, 
that  soon  the  physician  and  the  nurse  will  be  looked  upon  as  educa- 
tional factors  quite  as  impprtant  as  the  teacher  himself.  To  be  most 
effective,  however,  this  physical  training  and  health  education  must 
extend  to  the  adult  members  of  the  home.    Neighborhood  health  and 


113 

dental  service  should,  therefore,  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  physical 
education  in  the  school. 

In  the  new  schools  of  the  future,  "education  for  leisure  occupa- 
tions will  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  serious  educational  tasks." 
Dr.  Bobbitt  in  his  new  book,  "The  Curriculum,"  emphasizes  the  need 
of  education  for  leisure  occupations  in  these  words:  "Vocational  edu- 
cation is  receiving  enthusiastic  and  liberal  support  because  it  promises 
increased  production  of  corn  and  cotton,  of  machinery  and  clothing, 
and  the  other  material  means  of  life.  Leisure  occupations  relate  to  the 
production,  not  of  the  means  of  life,  but  of  life  itself;  of  full  rounded 
character  and  the  maintenance  of  that  character."  He  brings  out  the 
point  that,  with  a  labor  v/eek  that  meets  general  approval,  a  man 
has  almost  as  much  time  for  his  leisure  as  for  his  work — also  that 
play  is  as  normal  for  adulthood  as  for  childhood.  The  community 
center,  with  its  opportunity  for  recreation  and  social  intercourse,  is 
an  attempt  to  solve  the  leisure  problem,  which,  as  Dr.  Bobbitt  says, 
is  quite  as  important  as  the  labor  problem. 

The  question  of  how  our  schools  may  become  greater  agencies 
of  social  progress  is  answered,  in  the  first  place,  by  having  better 
trained,  better  paid  teachers.  No  teacher  can  be  said  to  be  adequately 
paid  who  does  not  receive  a  salary  large  enough  to  enable  her  to  con- 
tinue her  training,  and  no  teacher  can  be  said  to  be  well  trained  who 
cannot  have  opportunities  of  advanced  study  as  an  inspiration  for 
her  teaching. 

We  may  have  a  wonderful  vision  of  what  the  school  should  do— 
ho^  it  should  be  a  great  community  center,  reaching  out  into  every 
phase  of  life  in  the  community,  but  unless  we  have  well  trained,  com- 
petent teachers — teachers  conscious  o.f  their  social  mission,  our  ideals 
will  never  be  realized. 

A  second  need  of  the  school  is  a  national  system  of  education.  A 
national  system  of  education  would  mean  that  the  "nation  would  set 
the  standard  for  education  for  every  community  within  its  borders, 
and  that  there  would  be  real  co-ordination  and  genuine  co-operation 
between  national  and  local  authorities  in  solving  the  educational 
problems." 

If  the  Federal  educational  bill  now  before  the  House  passes,  it  will 
mean  the  establishment  of  a  Department  of  Education  as  an  execu- 
tive department  of  the  government  on  an  equality  with  the  other 
executive  departments,  the  secretary  of  which  is  to  be  a  member  ot 
the  Cabinet.  It  will  mean  national  support  of  education  throughout  the 
country,  and  it  will  mean  better  trained  and  better  paid  teachers. 

The  purpose  of  the  department  will  not  only  be  to  study  such 
problems  as  illiteracy,  immigrant  education,  public  health  education, 
and  recreation,  preparation  and  supply  of  teachers,  etc.,  but  for 
the  "betterment  of  conditions  in  the  field  indicated." 

Everyone  interested  in  the  future  welfare  of  our  nation  should 
give  this  bill  his  unqualified   support. 


114 

Never  has  the  opportunity  and  the  responstbility  of  the  edu- 
cated man  or  woman  been  so  great  as  now.  Many  of  our  educational 
theories,  as  Dr.  Butler  says,  were  burnt  up  along  with  the  houses 
and  shops  and  factories  of  Europe  and  upon  us  here  in  America  as 
well  as  upon  the  people  in  Europe  falls  the  task  of  reconstruction. 
No  plan  of  reconstruction  is  complete  that  does  not  enlist  the  co- 
operation of  all  the  people,  and  the  war  demonstrated  beyond  ques- 
tion that  one  of  the  most  vital  agents  for  securing  this  co-operation 
is  the  school  community  center. 


Synopsis  of  address  by  Professor  C.  S.  Gardner,  Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Subject:  ''The  Church  as  a  Factor  in  Community  Life." 
The  church  is  a  very  important  factor  in  community  life,  and  has 
always  been.  It  has  influenced  that  life  in  many  ways;  but  for  the 
most  part  its  influence  has  been  indirect,  and  too  often  incidental. 
The  church  and  its  ministers  have  been  too  exclusively  interested  in 
an  other-worldly,  post  mortem  salvation,  and,  in  my  judgment,  have 
too  often  failed  to  bring  their  great  power  to  bear  directly  upon  the 
practical  problems  of  life  in  the  community.  The  church  is  a  great 
dynamo,  but  it  needs  to  be  harnessed  up  more  closely  to  the  actual 
affairs  of  life  in  the  community  in  which  it  is  located.  I  think  this 
would  accomplish  two  good  results.  It  would  stimulate  the  interest 
of  the  people  in  the  church  and  in  the  preaching  and  it  would  make 
the  church  a  more  powerful  agent  in  directing  the  lives  of  the  people 
along  right  lines. 

For  instance,  a  preceding  speaker  has  referred  to  three  weak, 
slimly  attended  and  uninteresting  prayer  meetings  held  in  three  sep- 
arate churches  in  a  certain  town  and  has  suggested  that  they  should 
be  combined.  Now,  that  might  work  very  well  in  some  places,  and 
not  in  others  and  the  probability  is  that  the  very  sort  of  community 
he  describes  is  where  the  effort  to  combine  would  meet  more  op- 
position than  in  any  larger  one.  Anyhow,  for  my  part,  I  can't  see 
that  much  is  to  be  accomplished  by  adding  up  zeros.  The  trouble 
seems  to  me  to  lie  deeper.  What  we  need  is  to  put  something  into 
the  prayer  meeting  that  will  make  the  people  wish  to  attend  it.  If 
it  could  be  made  practical  and  inspiring,  would  not  the  attendance 
increase?  I  have  been  recommending  this  plan.  Let  the  pastor  in  his 
regular  ministry  repeatedly  call  attention  to  the  various  forms  of 
social  welfare  work  carried  on  in  his  community,  and  to  others  that 
ought  to  be  started.  As  he  goes  about  among  his  people  let  him  talk 
about  them,  and  suggest  to  this  member  that  he  link  himself  up  with 
one  of  these  agencies,  and  to  that  member  that  he  associate  himself 


115 

with  another,  and  so  on  with  all  his  members.  When  his  people  enter 
into  these  various  forms  of  community  service  they  will  have  many 
interesting  experiences  and  come  face  to  face  with  many  important, 
practical  and  intensely  human  problems.  Then  let  them  come  to 
the  prayer  meeting,  in  which  the  church  is  supposed  to  be  assembled 
for  informal  conference  and  prayer,  and  talk  about  these  interesting 
experiences  and  questions,  and  pray  about  them.  That  would  give 
them  something  fresh  and  practical  to  talk  about  and  something 
definite  to  pray  for.  Would  not  that  help?  I  think  it  would  be  an 
improvement. 

The  work  of  the  church  is  spiritual.  Its  primary  task  is  to  link 
men^  to  the  Eternal,  to  plant  their  lives  on  the  everlasting  founda- 
tions. Let  us  not  forget  that.  I  yield  to  no  man  in  emphasis  upon 
that.  But  the  added  power  thus  brought  to  the  lives  of  men  the  church 
should  harness  up  to  the  activities  of  the  community.  In  this  way 
it  will  both  conserve  and  develop  the  real  spirituality  of  fhe  people. 
The  true  function  of  the  church  is  to  spiritualize  all  the  activities  of 
life. 

What  we  need  is  a  larger  conception  of  what  religious  work  is. 
When  the  ordinary  minister  or  church  member  refers  to  "religious 
work"  he  generally  has  reference  to  a  very  limited  set  of  activities. 
Now,  all  those  activities  are  well  enough;  I  certainly  do  not  wish 
to  depreciate  them.  But  all  work  that  ought  to  be  done  at  all  may 
be  truly  religious,  and  is  religious  in  significance,  whether  we  per- 
ceive it  or  not.  All  that  it  needs  to  become  genuinely  religious  is  to 
be  viewed  in  the  right  way  and  carried  on  with  the  right  motives. 
All  this  is  especially  true  of  those  forms  of  work  wherein  we  seek  to 
enrich  and  enlarge  the  lives  of  our  fellow  men.  Let  us  broaden  our 
definition  of  religious  work.  To  me  this  has  been  a  religious  meeting. 
The  questions  we  have  been  discussing  have  a  very  definite  religious 
significance  to  me,  and,  I  dare  say,  to  many  of  you.  Our  friend  who 
spoke  so  interestingly  awhile  ago  about  building  good  roads  through- 
out the  State  has  a  work  that  is  truly  religious  in  significance  and 
may  be  done  in  a  genuinely  religious  spirit;  and  likewise  the  speakers 
who  have  discussed  commercial  clubs,  better  schools,  the  health 
problems,  etc. 

If  we  work  along  these  lines  we  shall  not  sacrifice  the  spirituality 
of  the  church,  nor  degrade  our  religion  from  its  high  and  supremely 
important  task  of  saving  men.  But  the  salvation  it  will  bring  to  men 
will  not  be  merely  a  negative  thing — keeping  them  from  hell — but 
a  positive  thing,  a  salvation  unto  a  life  of  service  and  helpfulness.  We 
may  be  very  sure  that  if  our  religion  makes  our  lives  what  they 
should  be  here,  all  will  be  well  with  us  in  the  world  to  come.  In 
these  forms  of  community  service  we  shall  be  making  a  most  im- 
portant contribution  to  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  for  what 
is  the  kingdom  but  organized  righteousness? 


116 

"We  were  unable  to  obtain  manuscrii)ts  of  the  omitted  ad- 
dresses. 

Persons  registered  as  in  attendance; 

Anderson,  Miss  Annie  S.,  The  Kentucky  Home  School,  Louisville, 
Kentucky. 

Arick,  Miss  Ola  Mae,  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Representing  American 
Red  Cross. 

Averitt,    S.    D.,    304    East    Maxwell    Street,    Lexington,    Kentucky. 

Beauchamp,  Mrs.  Frances  E.,  449  West  Second  Street,  Lexington, 
Kentucky.   Representii'ig  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union. 

RlackJ)urn,  Mrs.  H.  C,  Georgetown,  Kentucky. 

Booth,  Miss  Alexina  G.,  429  Longest  Avenue,  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Representing  Woman's  Committee,  C.  N.  D. 

Bosley,  L.  C,  Danville,  Kentucky.  Representing  Danville  City 
Schools.   • 

Breckinridge,  Elizabeth,  952  Fourth  Street,  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Representing  Louisville  Normal   School. 

Bristow,  Mrs.  L.  L.  Georgetown,  Kentucky.  Representing  Civic 
League. 

Button,  F.  C,  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Representing  State  Depart- 
ment of  Education. 

Burr,  E.  W.,  Denver,  Colorado.  Representing  U.  S.  Reclamation 
Service. 

Brown,  Owsley,  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Representing  Kentucky 
Council  of  Defense. 

Caldwell,  Fred  P.,  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Representing  Kentucky 
Council  of  Defense.    State  Historian. 

Chapman,  J.  Virgil,  455  East  Maxwell  Street,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 
Representing  State  Department  of  Education. 

Clarke,  Miss  Mary  E.,  117  Woodland  Avenue,  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky.   Representing  Civic  League. 

Coffman,  Mrs.  W.  H.,  Georgetowai,  Kentucky. 

Cohen,  Mat  S.,  Frankfort,  Kentucky.  Representing  State  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture. 

Colbert,  R.  J.,  2157  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Representing 
American  Red  Cross — Department  of  Home  Service — Assistant  Div. 
Director. 

Collier,  S.  R.,  West  Liberty,  Kentucky,  Representing  Kentucky 
Council  of  Defense. 

Cooper,  Mrs.  Thomas,  Experiment  Station. 

Cox,  H.   S.  Covington,  Kentucky.    Representing  Public  Schools. 

Cooper,  Thomas,  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Representing  Agricultural 
('ollege. 

Cottman,  George  S.,  Winchester,  Kentucky.  Representing  Red 
Cross. 


117 

Craig,  Amelia  C,  Danville,  Kentucky.   Representing  Home  Service 
A.  R.  C. 

Dudley,  David  R.,  Earlington,  Kentucky. 

Dalzelle,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  Cynthiana,  Kentucky. 

Dixon,  Archibald,  Henderson,  Kentucky. 

Dix,   Everett,  Berea,   Kentucky.    Representing   Red   Cross,   Berea 
College. 

Donaldson,  Helen  L.,  Nicholasville,  Kentucky.    Representing  Pub- 
lic Health. 

Durbin,    Daniel,    Cynthiana,     Kentucky.       Representing      County 
Council  of  Defense. 

Edmonds,  E.  T.,  326  Grosvenor  Avenue,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

Elam,  Mrs.  Brenda  D.,  Lexington,  Kentucky.    Representing  Rural 
Sanitation. 

Elam,  S.  S.,  Salyersville,  Kentucky.    Representing  Administrative 
School  Work. 

Eubank,  R.   S.,  Y.   M.   C.  A.,  Lexington,   Kentucky.  Representing 
Southern   School   Journal. 

Faulconer,    Mrs.    Nannie    G.,     818    East    Main    Street,    Lexington, 
Kentucky.    Representing  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

Fallis,    Oscar    B.,     Danville,      Kentucky.       Representing      County 
Schools  of  Boyle  County. 

Franz,  J.  A.,  Russell,  Kentucky. 

Frost,  W.  A.,  Wingo,  Kentucky. 

Gantvoort,  A.  J.,  Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Gardner,    C.    S.,    Louisville,     Kentucky.      Representing     Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary. 

Gardner,  Miss  Lida  E.,  Carlisle,  Kentucky.    Representing  National 
Organization  Parent  Teachers'  Association. 

Garrett,  Mrs.  Joseph  M.,  Versailles,  Kentucky. 

Glass,    Myrtle,    Georgetown,    Kentucky.     Representing    Sociology 
Class  at  Georgetown  College. 

Gifford,   Mrs.   Morris,  Upper  River    Road,    Louisville,    Kentucky. 
Representing  Council  of  National  Defense. 

Graham,   John   L.,    Owensboro,   Kentucky.     Representing    County 
Superintendent. 

Graham,   Mrs.   R.   H.,   Puritan   Apartments,   Louisville,   Kentucky. 
Representing   Food   Administration. 

Gunn,   Mrs.   Julia   R.,   723   Central  Avenue,  Lexington,   Kentucky. 
Representing  Kentucky  W.  C.  T.  U. 

Hafford,   Miss   Lida,   The    Cortlandt,   Louisville,    Kentucky.    State 
Supervisor  American  Red  Cross. 

Halley,  Mrs.  Sam  H.,  Meadowthorpe.   Representing  Woman's  Club. 

Halley,  Samuel  H.,  Lexington,  Kentucky.    Representing  Kenluoky 
Council  of  Defense. 


118 

Harrison,  B.  N.,  Williamstown,  Kentucky.   County  Superintendent 
Grant  County. 

Hines,  Edward  W.,  Intersouthern  Building,  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Representing  Kentucky  Council  of  Defense. 

Hopper,  W.  O.,  Mt.  Sterling,  Kentucky.   Representing  City  Schools. 

Huhlein,   Charles  F.,   Louisville,   Kentucky.    Representing  Jeffer- 
son County  Council  of  Defense. 

Ireland,  J.  W.,  Frankfort,  Kentucky.    Representing  Supertintend- 
ent  City  Schools. 

James,  M.  C,  149  Washington  Avenue,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

Johnson,  D.,  Clinton,  Kentucky, 

Karraker,  Mrs.  Adell,  333  Transylvania  Park.    Representing  Red 
Cross. 

Kercher,  Otis,  Lexington,  Kentucky.   Representing  Extension  Divi- 
sion. 

King,  Allilee,  Maysville,  Kentucky,  R.  R.  2. 

Lafferty,  Mrs.  W.  T.,  Lexington,  Kentucky.    Representing  Council 
of  Defense. 

Leonard,  C.  A.,  Jackson,  Kentucky.   Representing  Breathitt  County 
Council  of  Defense. 

Lock,   J,    S.,   Maysville,   Kentucky.    Representing   Mason   County 
Health  Board. 

Lorimer,  V.  Lota,  2921  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,  Ohio.    Repre- 
senting A.  R.  C,  Lake  Division. 

Loewenstein,  Stilly,  215  East  Walnut  Street,  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Representing  Associated  Charities. 

Lumsden,   L.   L.,   Washington,   D.    C.    Representing   U.    S.    Public 
Health  Service. 

McBirney,  E.  T.,  638  Monmouth  Street,  Newport,  Kentucky.    Rep- 
resenting  Newport-Cincinnati   In.  Asso. 

McCormack,  Arthur  T.,  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky.    Representing 
State  Board  of  Health  and  State  Medical  Association. 

McDermott,  Edward  J.,  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

Mclnteer,  Mrs.  B.  B.,  447  Columbia  Avenue,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 
Representing  Junior  High   School, 

Macmahon,  Arthur  W.,  Washington,  D.  C.    Representing  Council 
of  National  Defense. 

McMullen,  John,  Lexington,  Kentucky.    Representing   U,  S.  Public 
Health  Service. 

McVey,  Mrs.  F.  L.,  University  of  Kentucky.    Representing  Central 
Kentucky  Woman's  Club. 

McVey,  Frank  L„    University  of  Kentucky.    Representing  Univer- 
sity of  Kentucky. 

Milvv^ard,  Mrs.  John,  Hampton  Court,  Lexington,  Kentucky.    Rep- 
resenting Red  Cross  Nurses'  Association. 

Morrow,  Edwin  P.,  Somerset,  Kentucky. 


119 

Moss,  Miss  Eva  Bryan,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

Moxley,  Paulina,  Shelbyville,  Kentucky. 

Norton,  Mrs.  Charles  F.,  439  North  Broadway,  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky.   Representing  Transylvania  College. 

Pearson,  Mrs.  T.  B.,  Nicholasville,  Kentucky.  Representing  Home 
Service  Section,  Red  Cross. 

Porter,  Miss,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

O'Danlel,  Jay,  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Representing  B.  F.  Johnson 
Pub.  Co. 

Porter,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  461  West  Second  Street. 

Ramey,  J.  W.,  Russell,  Kentucky.    Representing  Greenup  County. 

Reynolds,  Mrs.  H.  G.,  Paducah,  Kentucky.  Representing  Mc- 
Cracken  County,  Woman's  Committee  C.  N.  D. 

Roberts,  W.  H.,  West  Main  Street,  Danville,  Kentucky.  Repre- 
senting Boyle  County  Council  of  Defense. 

Rogers,  James  Edward,  1  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City.  Rep- 
resenting W.  'C.  C.  S. 

Rodes,  Miss  Amanda,  Danville,  Kentucky.  Representing  Woman's 
Com.  C.  N.  D.,  Boyle  Co. 

Rue,  Mrs.  L.  E.,  Danville,  Kentucky. 

Shedd,  O.  M..  348  Linden  Walk,  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Represent- 
ing Agricultural  Experiment   Station. 

Slade,  D.  D.,  340  Grosvenor  Avenue.  Representing  Extension  De- 
partment. 

Stucker,  L.  D.,  Frankfort,  Kentucky.  County  Superintendent, 
Franklin  County. 

Smithers,  R.  A.,  Wisemantown,  Kentucky. 

South,  L.  H.,  Bowling  Green.  Kentucky.  Representing  State  Board 
of  Health. 

Stephens,  George  E.,  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Representing  U.  S. 
Boys'  Working  Reserve. 

Stiles,  Lela  Ma?,  Frankfort,  Kentucky.  Representing  Kentucky 
Illiteracy  Commission. 

Stoll,  Richard  C,  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Chairman  Committee  Pub- 
lic Safety,  Kentucky  Council  of  Defense — State  Inspector  American 
Protective  League. 

Street,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elwood,  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Representing 
Welfare  League. 

Sullivan,  L.  C,  Georgetown,  Kentucky.  Representing  Georgetown 
College. 

Taylor,  Mrs.  George  W.,  Carlisle,  Kentucky.  County  Superintend- 
ent. 

Taylor,  Edmund  Watson,  Frankfort,  Kentucky. 

Thompson,  Mrs.  W.  H.,  135  East  Main  Street,  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky.   Representing  Red  Cross, 


120 

Thruston,  R.  C.  Ballard,  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Representing  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross,  Lake  Division. 

Tuggle,  Prances  G.,  Maysville,  Kentucky. 

Weaver,  Mrs.  Charles  P.,  431  Kensington  Court,  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky.   Representing  Kentucky  Children's  Receiving  Home. 

Watts,  Shelby  D.,  2929  Euclid  Avenue,  Cincinnati.  Ohio.  Repre- 
senting Home  Service,  Red  Cross,  Lake  Division. 

Wendt,  Mrs.  Edwin  C,  Seventh  and  Monmouth  Streets,  Newport, 
Kentucky.  Representing  Campbell  County  Unit,  Woman's  Committee, 
tj.  N.  D. 

Wickenden,  Homer  E.,  2157  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Rep- 
resenting American  Red  Cross,  Lake  Division. 

Williams,  Miss  Charl,  Memphis,  Tennessee.  Superintendent  Shelby 
County  Schools. 

Wilson,  Dr.  B.  C,  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky.  Representing  Bureau 
Tuberculosis,   State   Board    of  Health. 

Withers,  Miss  Rebel,  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Representing  Y.  W. 
C.  A. 

Wolcott,  Mrs.  Helen  B.,  388  Grosvenor  Avenue,  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky. Representing  Kentucky  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  and 
Women's  Com.,  C.  N.  D. 

Wood,  H.  H.,  Wildie,  Kentucky. 

Woods,    Robert    E.,    1266    Everett   Avenue,    Louisville,    Kentucky. 

Wright,  Ruth,  338  Grosvenor  Avenue,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

Yancey.  Miss  Jessie  O.,  Maysville,  Kentucky,  Representing 
Illiteracy  Commission. 

Yount,  R.  W.,  Morehead,  Kentucky.    Representing  Rowan  County. 

Zembrod,  Mrs.  Alfred  C,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

Zerfoss,  L.  F.,  412  Linden  Walk,  Lexington,  Kentucky. 


INDEX. 


Page 

American  Red  Cross — Address  by  Miss  Lorimer 71 

Attendance — Persons  Registered 116 

Baker,  Prof.  George — Address  by 46 

Black,  Governor  James  D. — Presiding 51 

Breckinridge,   Miss  Elizabeth — Address   by 109 

Bruce,  Mrs.  Helm — Address  by 90 

Burr,  E.  W.— Address  by «  95 

Care  of  Defectives — Address  by  Dr.  Dixon 36 

Chapman,  Prof.  J.  Virgil — Address  by 28 

Church  as  Factor  in  Community  Life — Address  by  Dr.  Gardner 114 

Citizenship,  Practice  of— Address  by  Dr.  Jackson *. 58 

Cohen,  Mat  S.— Presiding 71 

Commercial  Organizations — Address  by  Chas.  F.  Huhlein 106 

Community  Life,  Church  as  Factor  in 114 

Community  Organization — 

Address  by  Arthur  W.  Macmahon 16 

Address  by  James  E.  Rogers 51 

School  as  Element  of 109 

Community   Singing — Address   by   Dr.  A.   J.   Gantvoort    (not   fur- 
nished for  publication) 7 

Led  by  Professor  Lampert 5 

Defectives,  Care  of — Address  by  Dr.  Dixon 36 

Dixon,  Dr.  Archibald — Address  by 36 

Educational  Bills  in  Congress — Address  by  Prof.  Baker 46 

Elimination  of  Illiteracy — Address  by  Prof.  Green 65 

Feeble-minded,  Care  of — Address  by  Dr.  Dixon 36 

Food  Administration^ — Address  by  Fred  M.  Sackett  (not  furnished 

for  publication)    6 

Gantvoort,  A.  J.— Address  by  (not  furnished  for  publication) 7 

Gardner,  Prof.  Charles  S. — Address  by 114 

Gilbert,  Prof.  V.  O.— Presiding 20 

Good  Roads — Address  by  Rodman  Wiley 101 

Green,  Prof.'R.  P.— Address  by 65 

Health  Problem  of  Kentucky — Address  by  Dr.  McCormack 75 

Health  Program  of  Red  Cross — Address  by  Miss  Lorimer 71 

Hines,    Edward   W. — Presiding 8 

Statement  by  8 

Huhlein,  Chas.  F.— Address  by 106 


122 

Page 

Illiteracy — Address  by  Prof.  R.  P.  Green. 65 

Insane,  Care  of — Address  by  Dr.  Dixon 36 

Jackson,  Dr.  Henry  E. — Address  by 58 

Kentucky  Health  Problem — Address  by  Dr.  McCormack 75 

Lampert,  Professor — Leader  of  Community  Singing 5 

Lorimer,   Miss  V.   Lota — Address  by 71 

Lumsden,  Dr.  L.  L.— -Address  by  (not  furnished  for  publication)....       7 

Macmahon,  Arthur  W. — Address  by 16 

McCormack,   Dr.  Arthur  T. — Address  by 75 

McVey,    Frank   L.— Address   by 9 

Presiding .—     95 

Mead,  Professor  Elwood — Place  on  program  taken  by  E.  W.  Burr.. 5,  95 
Morrow,  Edwin  P. — Address  by  (not  furnished  for  publication)....      6 

National  Problems — Address  by  Arthur  W.  Macmahon 16 

Practice  of  Citizenship — Address  by  Dr.  Jackson 58 

Problems  Before  Conference — Address  by  Dr.  McVey 9 

Program    ..,. 5 

Public  Health  Program  of  Red  Cross — ^Address  by  Miss  Lorimer..     71 

Purpose  of  Conference — Statement  of 5,    8 

Red  Cross — Address  by  Miss  Lorimer 71 

Registration  of  Persons  in  Attendance 116 

Roads — Address  by  Rodman  Wiley 101 

Rogers,  James  E.— Address  by 51 

Rural  Schools — Address  by  Miss  Williams 20 

Address  by  Prof.  Chapman 28 

Sackett,  Fred  M. — Address  by  (not  furnished  for  publication) 6 

School  as  Element  of  Community  Organization — Address  by  Mi«s 

Breckinridge    109 

Rural  School — Address  by  Miss  Williams 20 

Rural  School — Address  by  Prof.  Chapman 28 

Soldier  on  Land — Address  by  E.  W.  Burr 95 

Some  Problems  Before  the  Conference — Address  by  Dr.  McVey....      9 
Stewart,  Mrs.  Cora  Wilson — Place  on  program  taken  by  Edwin  P. 

Morrow 6 

Wiley,  Rodman — ^Address  by 101 

Williams,  Miss  Charl  O.— Address  by 20 

Woman's  Committee — Address  by  Mrs.  Bruce 90 


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